Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Hong Kong Government Reprimands Public Broadcaster for WHO Interview About
Taiwan

Verna Yu

   HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government has criticized a public
   broadcaster for "breaching the One-China principle" after a reporter
   asked a World Health Organization official about Taiwan's eligibility
   to join the international body amid the coronavirus pandemic.

   The public dressing down came amid continued criticism of the WHO for
   excluding Taiwan from its membership under pressure from Beijing, which
   insists that Taiwan must be considered part of China under its
   "One-China principle."

   The government's reprimand of RTHK also has stoked widespread concern
   over the public broadcaster's editorial independence and the wider
   implications for Hong Kong's press freedom.

   In a current affairs program, "The Pulse", last Friday, RTHK's reporter
   Yvonne Tong asked Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser at the WHO, in a
   video call whether the organization would allow Taiwan to join amid the
   COVID-19 crisis. Aylward, a Canadian physician and epidemiologist, in
   February led a WHO mission to China's Wuhan, the epicenter of the
   outbreak.

   After more than 10 seconds of silence, Aylward said he could not hear
   her question, and when Tong offered to repeat the question, he told her
   to "move to another one." When Tong insisted on asking about Taiwan,
   the call became disconnected. When the line was reconnected, she asked
   if he could comment on how Taiwan had done in combating the virus, to
   which Aylward replied, "We've already talked about China." The exchange
   went viral on social media.

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