Pro-Taiwan news agencies in SARBy Billy Lam After the handover, there are still pro-Taiwan organizations operating in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Some are news agencies providing news services in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Dr. Timothy Wong, research officer of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, said there are two types of such organizations: official and unofficial. The official ones have formal relations with the Taiwan government. Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Centre, located in Central, is said to be one of them. The centre, which was developed in the 1950s, was formerly known as Free China Review.
Homepage of Kwang Hwa Information & Culture CentreAccording to Mr. Tong Ong, deputy director of the centre, most of the centre’s funds come from the Taiwan government. He stressed, however, that the organization is a cultural service centre and deals little with politics. Apart from organizing general cultural activities, the centre also functions as a news agency and provides information about current conditions in Taiwan. The centre transmits news about Taiwan — for example, details of the provincial gubernatorial elections in 1997, to the Hong Kong media. The Hong Kong news centre of China Times, a major Taiwanese daily newspaper, is an example of an unofficial pro-Taiwan organization. The centre’s job is to transmit news about mainland China and Hong Kong to China Times and other Taiwanese media. According to Mr. H. L. Cheng, head of the centre and the managing editor of China Times, an important criterion for selecting news is its importance to the Taiwanese people. Mr. Cheng said that Hong Kong media would show little interest if a former high ranking official of the United States stops in Hong Kong to visit Beijing. “However, we would definitely send this information to Taiwan, as the person may be a commissioner aiming to build a relationship with China. This affects Taiwan’s safety,” said he. Dr. Wong does not agree that the pro-Taiwan organizations may contribute to the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan. “The real purpose of these organizations is to provide services,” he said. “They have little effect on the political dimension.” In fact, the organizations try to separate themselves from politics. In 1997, all the formal pro-Taiwan organizations agreed to abandon the practice of flying the national flag of the Republic of China on the “Double Tenth,” 10 October. They were criticized by some for giving up their right of free speech. But, said Mr. Ong: “Although Hong Kong promises the right of free speech, we should respect the laws of Hong Kong.” According to Mr. Cheng, China Times pays its loyalty to the Republic of China. But being a news agency, the Hong Kong news centre avoids involvement in politics and tries to report facts objectively. He said he has found no political suppression from China. Said he: “Most of our reporters were born in Hong Kong. They have their own visas to China. Therefore, they can enter China for stories whenever they want to. The Chinese government has not interfered with them so far. “Xinhua News Agency usually okays our requests for collecting news in China,” he added. Dr. Wong believes that China should not ban the activities of pro-Taiwan organizations in Hong Kong for political considerations because the SAR benefits from its relationship with Taiwan. According to Dr. Wong, trade with Taiwan has resulted in some US$30 billion in profits in Hong Kong in 1997. Said he: “If pro-Taiwan organizations existed no more, the unofficial relationship between Hong Kong and Taiwan would be seriously damaged.” |
