REPORTING news on China can be a risky venture. It is like doing the tango with China, and the Hong Kong media must be prepared to step back when the Chinese authority presses heavily forward.
However, there are opportunities to advance, only one must do it in a language China finds acceptable.
These were the views of some leading press representatives in the aftermath of China's decision to sentence Hong Kong reporter Xi Yang to 12 years' imprisonment.
At a recent seminar, entitled ''The Embarrassment of Reporting News in China - Xi Yang'', organised by journalism students of Shue Yan College, journalists discussed whether Xi Yang's case had repercussions on China news-gathering for the local media.
Contemporary magazine deputy editor-in-chief Johnny Lau Yui-siu, who gave the tango analogy, said one should handle Chinese news with ''carefully thought-out strategy''.
''It is important to know who really holds sway over policy. One must find out the core person or structure in question,'' he said.
