A government minister admitted yesterday he had contacted the head of RTHK when he learned the station was planning to interview Taiwan's Vice-President, Annette Lu Hsiu-lien.
Henry Tang Ying-yen, the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, said he immediately telephoned the Director of Broadcasting, Chu Pui-hing - who heads RTHK as part of his portfolio - to gain a clearer understanding of the issue after reading a newspaper report on the proposed interview last week.
'The status of Ms Lu is a bit special. She is a member of the local government of Taiwan,' Mr Tang said before attending a forum on Hong Kong's economy. 'I am concerned about this. Mr Chu has handled the issue. It is over now. I have nothing to add.'
Asked whether RTHK should interview Ms Lu, Mr Tang said the Hong Kong media still enjoyed freedom of speech and expression.
'There is no legislation to regulate this,' he said.
However, he refused to say if such an interview would have promoted the concept of 'two Chinas', as some pro-Beijing critics claimed.
