On Tuesday, DPP Legislator Cheng Kuo-chung (鄭國忠) made an alarming revelation during an interpellation in the Legislative Yuan -- as many as 17 media in Taiwan are suspected of receiving funding from China. This is indeed a very sticky problem for the government. While intangible Chinese infiltration of this sort is probably more lethal for Taiwan in the long run than the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, the government has even fewer means available to combat this emerging "epidemic" within the media.
The undesirability, to say the least, of having media financed with Chinese capital goes without saying. Taiwanese society is sorely lacking in terms of Taiwan-centered perception as it is. After the end of the martial law era, "nativized consciousness" at last began to emerge only in the last few years. Pro-unification media have therefore been having an extremely difficulty time, since their China-centered views appeal only to a shrinking minority. In due course, if market competition is allowed to do its business, their market share would be reduced to a miniscule piece of the pie.
In a critical moment like this, the infusion of Chinese capital is like an oasis in the desert. For obvious reasons, media that are pro-independence or are deemed as having nativized stances are not going to be on Beijing's Santa Clause list of good kids. Media backed by Chinese capital will be able to stay in the market and perhaps even outlast those on the other side of the political spectrum. Even more importantly, they will be able to continue to influence and shape public views and perceptions. All this will be highly counterproductive to the newly blossoming "nativized consciousness."
Unfortunately, the government seems to have its hands tied with respect to this problem. Frankly speaking, there is very little it can do to a problem with very serious consequences. While according to the Statute Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan and Mainland Areas (
The government additionally faces two highly sensitive dilemmas in dealing with this difficult situation. It must avoid any allegations or suspicions of trampling on the "freedom of the press" and the "freedom to do business." Only a few days ago, the Government Information Office incited an uproar with its plan to contract an independent research group to study the "business management" of the media industry. Members of the media accused the government of trying to impose not only censorship but also force them to divulge sensitive and confidential business data.
But in the foreseeable future this will be only the tip of an iceberg of infiltrations by Chinese concerns. If this can happen in the media industry, surely it is not a far stretch to say China must hold interests in other industries of Taiwan as well.
Under normal circumstances, the introduction of foreign capital would of course be a good reason to jump for joy, but China has never even bothered to hide its ambition and its hostility toward Taiwan.
Technicians are busily working in labs to track the coronavirus that causes SARS and they need microscopes to see the hidden killer. Under the circumstances, just about the only thing the government can do is get its own microscopes: a better mechanism to trace sources of foreign capital and more funding transparency from the media industry.
Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) not a “happy camper” these days regarding Taiwan? Taiwanese have not become more “CCP friendly” in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) use of spies and graft by the United Front Work Department, intimidation conducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Armed Police/Coast Guard, and endless subversive political warfare measures, including cyber-attacks, economic coercion, and diplomatic isolation. The percentage of Taiwanese that prefer the status quo or prefer moving towards independence continues to rise — 76 percent as of December last year. According to National Chengchi University (NCCU) polling, the Taiwanese
It would be absurd to claim to see a silver lining behind every US President Donald Trump cloud. Those clouds are too many, too dark and too dangerous. All the same, viewed from a domestic political perspective, there is a clear emerging UK upside to Trump’s efforts at crashing the post-Cold War order. It might even get a boost from Thursday’s Washington visit by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In July last year, when Starmer became prime minister, the Labour Party was rigidly on the defensive about Europe. Brexit was seen as an electorally unstable issue for a party whose priority
US President Donald Trump is systematically dismantling the network of multilateral institutions, organizations and agreements that have helped prevent a third world war for more than 70 years. Yet many governments are twisting themselves into knots trying to downplay his actions, insisting that things are not as they seem and that even if they are, confronting the menace in the White House simply is not an option. Disagreement must be carefully disguised to avoid provoking his wrath. For the British political establishment, the convenient excuse is the need to preserve the UK’s “special relationship” with the US. Following their White House
US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has brought renewed scrutiny to the Taiwan-US semiconductor relationship with his claim that Taiwan “stole” the US chip business and threats of 100 percent tariffs on foreign-made processors. For Taiwanese and industry leaders, understanding those developments in their full context is crucial while maintaining a clear vision of Taiwan’s role in the global technology ecosystem. The assertion that Taiwan “stole” the US’ semiconductor industry fundamentally misunderstands the evolution of global technology manufacturing. Over the past four decades, Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), has grown through legitimate means
RSS