Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

China’s foreign ministry weighs in on Hong Kong protest song issue, Google clash

China’s foreign ministry weighs in on Hong Kong protest song issue, Google clash

Statements back up city authorities’ calls for tech giant to take responsibility for misleading search results.

China’s foreign ministry has said internet companies had an “obligation” to spread correct information after Hong Kong authorities urged tech giant Google to ensure the country’s national anthem was displayed ahead of a protest song in the wake of a string of mix-ups at overseas sporting events.

Following the remarks on Wednesday, Hong Kong’s security minister emphasised the local government would do “everything it takes” to ensure the issue was corrected, with authorities sending another letter to Google demanding action.

“Internet corporations have an obligation to disseminate correct information to the public and not let false information spread and mislead the public,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Wang added the national anthem was the “symbol” of the country and represented the “dignity” of the nation. He said that Beijing supported the “resolute defence of the national anthem’s dignity” by the Hong Kong government.


China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

The statements followed a series of blunders at international sports events where a song linked to the 2019 anti-government protests, “Glory to Hong Kong”, was played instead of “March of the Volunteers” during ceremonies involving the city’s athletes.

The national anthem was also mislabelled in a broadcast graphic in two rugby matches.

Hong Kong government officials maintained Google played a role in the errors, calling on it to prevent misleading search engine results from displaying at the top when keywords such as “Hong Kong” and “national anthem” were entered.

They also pointed out that a song that was mislabelled as the city’s national anthem was available for download in its search results, even though it was “factually wrong” as Hong Kong did not have its own distinct tune.

The city’s security minister on Wednesday emphasised authorities would use “everything it takes” to ensure the situation was resolved by the American tech firm.

“With regards to these serious matters and those affairs related to the dignity of the country, we will write another letter to Google in the hope it will correct these errors,” Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said.

Tang, who was speaking to the press after an antechamber session meeting with lawmakers, repeated there was only one Chinese national anthem.

“Anything else is wrong, no matter how many times you repeat it, it will be wrong,” he said.

City leader John Lee has urged Google to take responsibility for its search results.


Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday said the government would contact the tech giant again over the issue, noting the company had the ability to remove content to adhere to a recent judgment issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

“So there are ways to do it,” Lee said. “It is a matter whether a company acts responsibly and respects the importance of the national anthem in the global context.”

The Post has contacted Google for comment.

Meanwhile, during the antechamber session, social welfare sector lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen spoke to Tang and Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee, who cited the security secretary’s remark that around 6,000 people arrested during the 2019 anti-government protests could see their cases resolved in “weeks”.

A majority, he added, could be handled “loosely”, as they were involved in only minor infractions.

The lawmaker highlighted these individuals were part of about 10,000 people arrested during the months-long protests three years ago, with about 1,000 involved in the siege of Polytechnic University and around 3,000 already charged.

“I welcome them doing this,” he added. “I think this issue has been dragged on for long enough … I think the leniency given to those arrested could be further extended.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×