'HK Moves Up On Media Freedom, But Shadows Loom'

Reporters Without Borders said on Wednesday that Hong Kong has climbed in its annual World Press Freedom Index, but warned that the city is experiencing growing interference by mainland authorities.

Hong Kong moved up three places from last year and is now ranked 70 on the Index of 180 countries and regions.

But the report said journalists are "finding it increasingly difficult to cover subjects involving governance in Hong Kong and the mainland".

The international non-profit organisation said people are now realising the importance of defending press freedom and a number of independent online media outlets are now leading a "resistance".

The mainland is ranked 176th on the list, with North Korea being at the very bottom. The top performers are Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

The group accused the world's three superpowers – the US, China and Russia – of leading the charge against press freedom, with US President Donald Trump regularly launching personal attacks on reporters.

"More and more democratically elected leaders no longer see the media as part of democracy's essential underpinning, but as an adversary to which they openly display their aversion," the report said, picking out Trump, India's Narendra Modi and Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte for particular criticism.

It had even harsher words for Beijing, saying "Xi Jinping's China is getting closer and closer to a contemporary version of totalitarianism".

"Censorship and surveillance reached unprecedented levels thanks to the massive use of new technology" in his first term in office, the report said. It said Beijing's influence and tactics were also being felt in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. (Additional reporting by AFP)