Hong Kong - Press freedom in Hong Kong is in danger of being stifled in the former British colony by a growing wave of nationalist feeling toward China, a report warned Monday.

Beijing has pressured the city of 6.9 million to follow its line in covering sensitive issues such as dissident activities in China and separatist issues, the Hong Kong Journalists Association claimed in its annual report.

That had led to a limiting of freedom of expression in Hong Kong as the Beijing line becomes "more dominant" in the local media, the report said.

The report said that nationalism and patriotism had been on the rise in recent months, stoked partly by the Olympic torch relay through Hong Kong and the response to the May earthquake in Sichuan province, where tens of thousands of people were killed.

The association called on the Hong Kong government to guarantee protestors the right to express their views in public without threats or intimidation, and for a comprehensive review of broadcasting legislation.

People would be afraid to stand up and express their views unless the government stands up for press freedom, the association said, while newspapers will increasingly disregard news that is seen as "anti-China."

Hong Kong newspapers in recent years have repeatedly been accused of exercising self-censorship, screening out negative political news to curry favor with the territory's Beijing-appointed administration.

Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" arrangement that guarantees political freedoms and freedom of expression for 50 years. (dpa)