China Global Television Network launched on 31 December 2016, built out of the existing CCTV International service as part of a deliberate push to give China a voice in international broadcasting rather than leaving the field to Western networks. It is owned by China Central Television, the country's principal state broadcaster, and headquartered in Beijing. From the outset it was designed as a multilingual operation, carrying English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian services, and it built regional production centres outside China to localise output. This domain is the European arm, produced from London, with its own presenters, correspondents and programming aimed at European audiences and hours built around European time zones. It is one of several regional editions sharing the cgtn.com parent, alongside operations serving Africa and the Americas. Today, CGTN Europe is mainly focused on European politics and the European Union, China-Europe trade and diplomacy, business and markets, global affairs, and technology and science coverage, from their base in London, England. One interesting fact: its European operation lost its UK broadcast licence in February 2021 after Ofcom found the licence holder had no editorial control over the channel, and it continued producing from London regardless.