HK Media Urged to Heed "Taiwan Independence" AffairsA senior Chinese official stressed April 12 that Hong Kong media have the responsibility to safeguard China's unity and territorial integrity after Hong Kong's return to the motherland."The Hong Kong media should not spread and advocate the 'two states' theory and independence of Taiwan," said Wang Fengchao, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at a forum on the one-China principle and Taiwan issue, sponsored by the Hong Kong Association of Journalists. In a recent interview with a Hong Kong cable TV station, Annette Lu, a member of the Taiwan-based People Progressive Party, openly advocated "Taiwan independence," which challenged the one- China principle and stirred animosity between the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Wang noted that the issue of national unity is a cardinal one of right and wrong, on which the media of Hong Kong should share a common view. "It has nothing to do with freedom of press," he stressed. He urged the media in Hong Kong to proceed from the unity of the country, which is in the ultimate interest of the Chinese nation. The separatist statements should not be treated as ordinary news stories on different points of view, he said. "The media should act cautiously on issues concerning national interests," Wang said, adding that while maintaining an independent policy of editing, the media should make decisions in the interest of national unity," he said. |
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