Hong Kong broadcaster accused of breaching ‘one-China principle’ after reporter presses WHO official on Taiwan membership
- Commerce ministry statement suggests RTHK is failing to abide by its governing charter, something the broadcaster has denied
- The station was just last month attacked by a top police official over comedy sketches that aired on its satire programme ‘Headliner’
Hong Kong’s commerce minister has criticised public broadcaster RTHK for what he considers a breach of the “one-China principle” after one of its reporters pressed a World Health Organisation official last week on whether the body would accept Taiwan as a member.
In a statement released Thursday, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah also said final responsibility lay with RTHK’s director of broadcasting and asked that the station “abide by” its governing charter.
RTHK, for its part, has denied breaching either the “one country, two systems” principle or its charter.
The row marks the second time in a month the broadcaster has found itself in the crosshairs of senior government officials.
In early March, they were publicly accused of undermining the work of the Hong Kong police after the satire programme “Headliner” aired sketches implying the force had stockpiled masks during the Covid-19 epidemic and were too quick in ruling deaths during the anti-government protests as suicides.