PRESIDENT JIANG Zemin's remarks about the media last week, while marking the first anniversary of Macau's handover, hardly came as a surprise. His call for journalists to display social responsibility and to safeguard the national interest was the latest example of mainland officials sounding off about how Hong Kong's press should behave. Two months ago, Mr Jiang launched a tirade against Hong Kong journalists, accusing them of asking questions that were 'too simple and sometimes naive'. Mainland authorities have regularly warned us about the things they do not like to read. In 1996, Lu Ping, the then director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, warned against the advocacy of two Chinas. He said 'it is not allowed, definitely not' to promote the independence of Taiwan. Such warnings have become more frequent since the handover. Pro-Beijing politician Xu Simin has repeatedly attacked government-run broadcaster RTHK for criticising the policies of Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa and the Government. Wang Fengchao, the deputy director of the Central Liaison Office, earlier this year said the media should toe the same line as the central Government on major state polices. He said the press should draw a line in reporting news about Taiwan and that issues such as Taiwanese independence should not be treated as normal news items. But what is worrying about Mr Jiang's comments is that they show the number of issues targeted by Chinese officials is increasing. In the past, it has been the usual sensitive areas, such as independence for Taiwan and Tibet, which have provoked comment. But Mr Jiang has started to ask journalists to be careful in reporting local issues. More worrying still is the apparent change in the attitude adopted by local officials. When Mr Wang made his remarks in April, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Anson Chan Fang On-sang, was quick to stress that freedom of the press was protected under the Basic Law. But this time, Mr Tung echoed Mr Jiang's view, saying the media had a responsibility to the community and that he would not allow the SAR to be a base for subversive activities. No senior official mentioned the stipulations in our mini-constitution protecting freedom of the press. Some may argue that Mr Jiang's remarks will not necessarily result in curbs on a free press. Beijing and most SAR leaders understand the stakes are high in any attempt to gag the media. But calls on the media to behave in a certain way are not the only way mainland authorities deal with unco-operative sectors of the press. Former Ming Pao journalist Xi Yang was jailed for 'stealing state secrets', and reporters from Apple Daily, owned by pro-democracy businessman Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, are still barred from reporting on the mainland. The purpose of punishment is more than to retaliate. By responding to what is perceived as the 'disagreeable practices' of the press, mainland authorities have drawn a clear line indicating what they consider acceptable - and unacceptable. But there is no need for Beijing to interfere further. Many journalists, consciously or not, are already following the rules of the game through self-censorship, a concern in Hong Kong. But others will continue to stand up for a free press, which means more warnings from Beijing are likely in future, until the central authorities are happy with the state of the media in Hong Kong. Quinton Chan ( qchan@scmp.com ) is a staff writer for the Post's Editorial Pages. Danny Gittings is on holiday