Staff at Hong Kong’s public broadcaster have been told to avoid "inappropriate terminology” that would imply Taiwan is a sovereign state as the Asian financial hub continues to try to curb dissent.
In a circular distributed to staff urging a "high degree of caution” on Taiwan, journalists at Radio Television Hong Kong were told to avoid calling President Tsai Ing-wen "Taiwan’s president” and not to call her administration a "government,” RTHK reported on Wednesday. Instead, RTHK staff were to use the terms "Taiwan’s leader” and "Taiwan authorities.”
"Under no circumstances should Taiwan be referred to as a sovereign state or perceived as one,” the memo says, according to RTHK. It specified terms such as "country” and Republic of China "must not be used when referring to Taiwan.”