An official of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Thursday criticized a local public broadcaster's program as breaching the one-China principle, in which a journalist interviewed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the possibility of Taiwan's membership.
"The presentation in that episode of the ... program has breached the one-China principle and the purposes and mission of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) as a public service broadcaster...," Edward Yau, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, was quoted as saying by a spokesperson in a statement.
RTHK, also a government department, should have a proper understanding that the WHO membership is based on sovereign states without any deviation, according to the statement.
The footage of RTHK showed one of its journalists asking Bruce Aylward, a WHO official, that whether the organization will consider giving Taiwan membership during a video interview.
According to the Charter of RTHK, the public purposes and mission of the broadcaster includes engendering a sense of citizenship and national identity through programs that contribute to the understanding of the community and nation, and promoting understanding of the concept of "one country, two systems".
Yau has urged the broadcaster and the Director of Broadcasting, who is also the editor-in-chief of RTHK, to fully abide by the Charter and stressed that they must handle all programs in a professional and vigilant manner as required, according to the statement.
