Hong Kong Journalists Protest China Warning

In an escalating controversy over Hong Kong’s autonomy, journalists in the territory launched a protest campaign Tuesday over what they said are attempts to curtail press freedom.

“We will not be propaganda machines,” said a petition circulated by the Hong Kong Journalists Assn. during a 24-hour drive to obtain signatures from local media outlets. The move came after Beijing warned journalists here not to report on viewpoints supporting Taiwanese independence.

In a letter to be sent to Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, the group said that Beijing’s warning could damage the government’s credibility.

“We hope that the central government can convince officials not to express opinions that are harmful to the ‘one country, two systems’ policy,” it said.

The row highlights the precarious position of Hong Kong, which is caught in the middle of heightened tensions between China and Taiwan. Beijing hopes to reunite with Taiwan--which it considers a renegade province--under the same “one country, two systems” formula for autonomy that it promised Hong Kong when it reclaimed the former British colony in 1997.

But in Hong Kong, that autonomy has given air time to voices that Beijing would rather not hear.

The deputy director of Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong, Wang Fengchao, touched off the heated debate last week by saying that the Hong Kong media “should not treat speeches and views which advocate Taiwan’s independence as normal news items.”

Wang argued that the local media’s primary obligation is “to defend the integrity and sovereignty of the country,” adding: “This has nothing to do with press freedom.”

Wang’s remarks drew criticism from the territory’s journalists, opposition politicians, student unions and local bar association, along with expressions of concern from the U.S. and British governments.

The remarks appeared to reflect Beijing’s displeasure at Hong Kong Cable TV’s interview with Taiwanese Vice President-elect Annette Lu, in which she discussed China’s claims to sovereignty over Taiwan. The interview triggered a propaganda onslaught from Beijing, with almost daily tirades branding her the “scum of the nation” and an extremist dragging the island toward the “abyss of war.”

On Monday, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, tried to assure the territory that he will “continue to implement the Basic Law [Hong Kong’s constitution], which protects the freedom of the press.”

Tung did not suggest how media should handle Taiwan-related news. Instead, he urged locals to consider what effect the Taiwanese independence movement is having on relations among China, Taiwan and the U.S. and, in turn, “what the effect would be on the investment environment in Hong Kong.”

Protesting journalists found little comfort in Tung’s response.

“It is a kind of softened threat,” said Mak Yin-ting, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists Assn. “He’s saying, ‘You have to take care of the interests of the Hong Kong people, and so you should know what to do.’ ”

Mak added that reporters will now have to think twice about how they cover news about Taiwan. Beijing’s threats “will certainly have a chilling effect on the media when they cover related issues,” she said.

While Hong Kong’s Basic Law guarantees freedom of speech and the press, it also requires Hong Kong to enact its own legislation to prevent acts of subversion against China. Last week, Wang indicated that such future legislation should outlaw advocating Taiwanese independence.

Compared with their mainland colleagues, Hong Kong reporters have much more leeway in reporting on Taiwanese and mainland politics. Observers say that Wang’s remarks would be nothing out of the ordinary if they were directed at the mainland media.

A commentary in Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper noted that mainland officials are used to a docile “press that speaks with one voice.”