Hong Kong broadcaster bans references to Taiwan “government”

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Hong Kong (AFP)

Hong Kong’s public broadcaster has banned staff from calling Taiwan’s leader “president” or referring to his “government” in new guidelines that mimic mainland Chinese rhetoric.

The move comes as Beijing reshapes Hong Kong into its own authoritarian image and local authorities transform the city’s RTHK news channel – run by a government agency – into something more akin to highly censored Chinese state media. .

In a note sent to all staff on Tuesday and obtained by AFP, RTHK management released a series of new style rules on how to refer to Taiwan.

The autonomous democracy of 23 million people – officially known as the Republic of China – is claimed by the leaders of Beijing who have vowed to take Taiwan one day, by force if necessary.

The memo said staff were now prohibited from using “inappropriate” terms such as “President of Taiwan” or “Government of Taiwan” in all radio, TV and online broadcasts.

“Inappropriate terminology such as ‘country’, ‘Republic of China’, ‘ROC’ … should not be used to refer to Taiwan.

The new ruling came days after a prominent pro-Beijing politician in Hong Kong accused the broadcaster of breaking the law in the way he describes Taiwan.

RTHK’s media office declined to comment on why the new rules were put in place.

Many international media, including AFP, have style guides that say Taiwan shouldn’t be described as a country because the vast majority of nations don’t recognize it as such.

However, it is not common to ban references to the Republic of China, its president or its government.

Some media have started to refer to Taiwan as a country as it is a de facto sovereign territory with its own elected executive, its own currency, borders and military.

Chinese state media are making great efforts to avoid any reference to Taiwan that could give the island’s government a sense of legitimacy.

Taiwan is often referred to as “the region of Taiwan in China”, while President Tsai Ing-wen is commonly referred to as a “so-called leader”.

Semi-autonomous, Hong Kong remains a major Asian media hub with many international outlets that host regional headquarters.

The city has steadily declined in the rankings for media freedom since its return to China in 1997.

A recent crackdown after huge democracy protests two years ago has left many wondering if the city can remain a press hub.

Mainland China maintains one of the most restrictive media regimes in the world.

Hong Kong’s RTHK was based on the British BBC, publicly funded but editorial independent.

Authorities began transforming the broadcaster after establishment figures accused it of being too sympathetic to the city’s democratic movement.

Many news programs have since been cut or withdrawn while several journalists have lost their jobs and their shows or resigned in protest against the changes.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association last week said the city’s media freedoms were “in tatters.”

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