Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Thursday the HK government must respect the "One Country, Two Systems" principle when rendering assistance according to the wishes and appeals of Ching Cheong's family's.

Tsang told the press that since the Chinese mainland authorities have ruled on the case, the Hong Kong government is not in a position to comment on the details.

He promised that the Hong Kong SAR government will continue to keep in touch with Ching's family to render every practicable assistance in accordance with their wishes and appeals.

The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court sentenced Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong to five years in prison for espionage on Thursday morning. He also had his personal property worth 300,000 yuan confiscated.

"We have conveyed to the central government his family's requests and appeals. We have also conveyed the concerns over this case expressed by various bodies in Hong Kong, including the Legislative Council Panel on Security and journalist associations, " Tsang said.

In rendering assistance to residents, the Hong Kong SAR government must respect the "One Country, Two Systems" principle and not interfere in the law enforcement and the judicial process of the mainland, just as the mainland authorities will not interfere in the cases that fall within the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong SAR, the chief executive said.

Source: Xinhua