A Hong Kong newspaper announced Thursday that it will stop publishing cartoons by the city’s most prominent political cartoonist after filing government complaints, another example of restrictions on speech and the media following a Beijing-led crackdown .
The Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao did not say why its 40-year partnership with Wong Kei-kwan is ending on Sunday. Wong, better known by his pen name Zunzi, told The Associated Press that the decision was made through mutual consultation.
“Everyone knows why the post should be stopped, but no one will ‘confirm’ the reason,” he said in a text message to the AP with two smiley face emojis.
His cartoons caricatured the frustrations of Hong Kong society since the then British colony regained control of China in 1997.
The newspaper did not respond to requests for further comment.
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Wong said he feels the city’s freedoms of speech and expression are shrinking, but he will continue to create as long as he can. He will try to find other channels to publish his drawings, he said.
“Honestly, I am very grateful that Ming Pao let my drawings be published until now. If it had been other platforms, the publication stop would have happened much earlier,” said Wong.
Since Beijing imposed a sweeping National Security Law following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019, the city’s art and media communities have learned to be wary of crossing vaguely defined red lines in the production of art and other content that can be perceived as a challenge to the control of the Communist Party. Authorities have also increasingly used a colonial-era sedition law to attack critical voices.
Multiple Wong cartoons have been criticized in recent months by various government agencies, including the security bureau. Most recently, the Home Affairs and Youth Affairs Office criticized his work for “defaming” the government’s role in appointing members of local committees that will choose candidates for district council elections later this year.
Copies of Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao and a cartoon of Wong Kei-kwan are displayed in Hong Kong on May 11, 2023. A Hong Kong newspaper will stop publishing works by Kei-kwan after his cartoons drew complaints from the government. (AP Photo/Kanis Leung)
In his cartoon, a man tells a woman that even if some people have failed their exams and have health problems, they can still be appointed to commissions as long as the “senior officers” deem them fit.
Under the government’s plan to reform district councils, local committees made up of many government supporters will elect around 40% of the 470 seats. The councils were the last major bodies of political representation elected by the public in Hong Kong and will be reduced from 90% directly elected seats to 20%, even lower than the level under British colonial rule.
Asked whether the paper’s decision to stop publishing Wong’s cartoons was related to criticism of the government, Home Affairs and Youth Secretary Alice Mak said she would not comment on decisions made by individual organizations.
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“But for false statements or things that are far from the facts, we need to clarify so that residents understand the truth,” he told reporters.
Security Minister Chris Tang, who criticized Wong’s work last month, insisted that city residents have the right to freedom of speech and the press under the city’s constitution and security law.
If some publishers don’t want to let someone use their platform to defame and incite discontent towards the government through misleading allegations, and they stop such activities, that’s a very responsible way to handle it, he said.
Other government departments that complained about Wong’s cartoons did not respond to requests for comment.
In its announcement, Ming Pao’s editorial department expressed the paper’s gratitude to Wong for witnessing the changing times with them over the past four decades.
The Ming Pao Staff Association on its Facebook page expressed regret that Wong’s cartoons no longer appear in the paper.
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“Apart from news reporting, the works of columnists are also part of Ming Pao’s core value,” he wrote. “A diverse society should include different voices. We hope that all sectors can respect freedom of expression.”
The Hong Kong Journalists Association said the incident showed that the space for freedom of expression in the city has narrowed further.
Hong Kong was ranked 140 out of 180 countries and territories in Reporters Without Borders’ latest World Press Freedom Index released last week. The global media watchdog said the city has seen an unprecedented backlash since 2020, when the security law was introduced.
