Don’t expect a repeat performance. Press freedom was only one of Hong Kong’s political legacies under siege last week. As Beijing clamped down, the former British colony’s identity as an autonomous, democratic part of China was in doubt, too. Christine Loh, one of Hong Kong’s most respected democrats, announced her decision to quit the Legislature, saying the government is not committed to democracy. Chief Secretary Anson Chan refuted Loh’s charges and stressed the need to have “Hong Kong people running Hong Kong.” She issued a firm statement upholding the right of journalists to report freely. But many Hong Kong people doubt she has the power to protect them. “The pillar has not gone down yet, but Beijing just used a big ax to chop out a big chunk,” says Liu Kin-ming, a Hong Kong journalist. “If press freedom is gone you can forget about democratic development.”
Beijing’s rage over Taiwan’s separatist tendencies is largely to blame for the assault on Hong Kong. Other communist officials have stated before that reporting on Taiwan independence was not the same as promoting it. Why the change? A senior Hong Kong official says Beijing wants to isolate Taiwan, with no thought for the effects on Hong Kong. “They want to give the message that they will not be soft on Taiwan in any way,” says the official. “Certain things take priority.” Fearing a public outcry, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa has put off enacting sedition laws required by the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s Constitution. But now that Beijing wants them, “Tung is caught in the middle,” says a Hong Kong deputy of China’s National People’s Congress.
Hong Kong’s journalists have struggled to protect their freedoms since the handover. They have blocked a proposed press council, supported by Tung. Though the council was envisioned to make the press more responsible, journalists worried that it could be used to limit freedoms. Meanwhile, thanks to pressure from pro-Beijing advertisers, some editors have started censoring themselves. Some TV and radio stations, for example, have refrained from calling Lee Teng-hui the “president of Taiwan” to avoid upsetting Beijing. One TV channel reportedly cut short a series on Tibet. Beijing’s recent warnings “will accelerate” self-censorship, says Mak Yin-ting, head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.
Hong Kong’s way of life is at stake. Tightening of freedoms could jeopardize Hong Kong’s ability to keep the communication and finance industries that have made it successful. Says Hong Kong political scientist Michael DeGolyer: “Singapore is liberalizing in the opposite direction in order to pull [those businesses] away.” If Ida Chan is any measure, the dangers of Hong Kong officials kowtowing to Beijing are real. “It’s very difficult if someone is telling me to do this or don’t do that,” says Chan. How about another controversial interview? “I don’t know,” she says. Score one for Beijing, zero for Hong Kong.
