The chief executive of the Special Administrative Region should have the backbone to tell anyone interfering with Hong Kong's free media to 'lay off', the territory's top broadcasting official said.
Brian Chau Tak-hay, the Secretary for Recreation and Culture, said he was confident Hong Kong would continue to have free news media after the handover.
With fears mounting that press, radio and television will not operate as openly post-1997, Mr Chau said he believed in total freedom of communication and expression.
Widely viewed as an official expected to survive the transition, Mr Chau also said he would like to continue in his current role - in charge of setting broadcasting policy and controlling obscene and indecent material in newspapers, on television and radio and in films.
He believes Beijing will not interfere, and has told Chinese officials that Hong Kong enjoys a freedom of speech which should continue under the principle of 'one country, two systems'.
But he has not felt the need to discuss the issue with mainland counterparts. 'Why should you go and invite people to interfere when they have not said they will interfere?' he asked.
