Photo taken on June 29, 2021 shows China's national flags and flags of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on a street in China's Hong Kong. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
Hong Kong’s Foreign Correspondents’ Club passed a nonbinding motion on Monday that calls for the organization to “prominently display its mission statement on its website and reaffirm its commitment to speaking out publicly against threats to press freedom in Hong Kong transparently”.
People without full knowledge about what happened in the club not so long ago might be wildered: Why does it need a motion to reinstall its mission statement on its website when the core of which is to “promote and facilitate journalism of the highest standard”?
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club provided a platform in 2018 for a notorious Hong Kong separatist to promote his idea that “independence” is the only solution for the special administrative region of China. Facilitating the advocacy of secession and subversion is definitely not part of journalism, much less of the highest standard of any professional group
The devil is in the details. The FCC provided a platform in 2018 for a notorious Hong Kong separatist to promote his idea that “independence” is the only solution for the special administrative region of China. Facilitating the advocacy of secession and subversion is definitely not part of journalism, much less of the highest standard of any professional group.
On invitation of the FCC, Andy Chan Ho-tin, convener of the Hong Kong National Party, a group that was under investigation by the Hong Kong police for advocating Hong Kong independence, delivered his already highly advertised separatist speech at the FCC on Aug 14, 2018.
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Chan called on foreign powers, including Britain and the United States, to interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs, urging Washington to put further pressure on Beijing by expanding its trade war to Hong Kong, which Washington did later by slapping sanctions on Hong Kong.
In no part of the world does facilitating the advocacy of separatism and subversion fall into the scope of “press freedom”. It is a conspicuous abuse of press freedom by any definition of the term.
It is more political posturing than anything else when the FCC talked about “its commitment to speaking out publicly against threats to press freedom in Hong Kong”.
Press freedom, or freedom of publication, and freedom of speech/expression, are cherished in Hong Kong and protected by the Basic Law (Article 27). But they are not absolute rights. Restrictions on such rights are legitimate, as recognized by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which approves of necessary restrictions “for respect of the rights or reputations of others; for the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals”.
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The exercise of these rights does carry with it special duties and responsibilities, as recognized by the ICCPR. And operating within the boundaries of the law is part of the fulfillment of such duties and responsibilities. It is hoped that the FCC and other organizations operating in Hong Kong do not assume they are free from such responsibilities under whatever guise.
The author is a current affairs commentator
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.