China station set to replace BBC radio in HK

Hong Kong, Aug. 12: Hong Kong’s official radio station said it will replace its 24-hour BBC broadcast with Chinese state-run programming in a move critics on Saturday said was a step towards “mainlandisation”. The city’s Radio Television Hong Kong has been broadcasting the BBC World Service live since 1978 but will replace it starting September 4 with the China National Radio Hong Kong Edition (CNR). Some see the move as signs that the city is further aligning itself with China. “This is absolutely one step forward towards mainlandisation in Hong Kong,” pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said, adding that Chinese authorities may feel that city residents were not patriotic enough. “They should all be reigned in and taught to feel Chinese,” Mo said of the motive behind the move, which comes at a time when many feel Beijing is squeezing the semi-autonomous city’s freedoms. Residents also took to social media to decry the move, with Yu Yeuk-mui saying on Facebook: “One more bad news! Hong Kong is burning already”. Frustrations over the city’s political and social developments have led to the emergence of a new independence movement calling for Hong Kong to break from the mainland.

The rail link to the mainland which would see a portion of the city come under Chinese law has been the focus of the most recent backlash, with critics saying the city’s cherished freedoms are being eroded.