LONDON, Dec 1 (AFP) - Staff of the BBC fear that the British radio and television network is allowing commercial interests to influence its coverage of events in China, The Observer reported on Sunday.

The paper said several reports on the occupation of Tibet and human rights abuses were not used although they had been ordered or the British Broadcasting Corporation had expressed a strong interest in them.

According to the Sunday newspaper, "BBC insiders fear the corporation is letting commercial interests influence its coverage on China...

"The BBC is anxious not to provoke Beijing which takes a hardline with all news organisations as the corporation needs as many reporters as possible in the run up to the Hong Kong handover" to China on July 1, 1997.

Its trade interests with China are going well, The Observer said, and last week a BBC official said negotiations were under way for World Service television to resume broadcasting in China after being supplanted by Rupert Murdoch's satellite in 1994.

The BBC late Saturday vigorously denied that its China coverage could be influenced by such considerations.