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Government committed to defending press freedom
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, said today (Thursday) that the Government remains fully committed to promoting and defending the principle of freedom of the press.
Speaking at the launching ceremony of Nihon Keizai Shimbun in Hong Kong, Mrs Chan said the large number of newspapers which were available in Hong Kong today clearly added vitality to the community and demonstrated the success of this policy.
"Whilst our sovereign power will change on July 1 next year, the faithful application of the 'one country two systems' formula would ensure that freedom of press will continue in Hong Kong," she said.
"The Government, media proprietors and practitioners all need to work together to secure the faithful implementation of the guarantees laid down in the Joint Declaration and in the Basic Law.
today."
"We must ensure that Hong Kong remains as free and open a society as it is
Mrs Chan said civil servants had become accustomed to critical comment, which was an almost inevitable consequence of embracing freedom of press.
"Constructive criticism is always useful in helping us look at situations from different perspectives.
"This is a healthy development and one which indicates to me a high degree of maturity in our society," she said.
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