This week, Christians have celebrated Christmas and much of the world will celebrate the Western New Year. This is usually a time for people around the world to be thankful. We are of course thankful for the blessings we have received during the past year, but there is also a lot of pain, anguish and uncertainty.
In the US, we have to deal with the pain and anguish caused by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. In the Middle East, there is continued civil strife in Syria and unrest in Egypt. And in the Far East, there is tension surrounding the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and the South China Sea caused by China’s aggressive behavior toward its neighbors, while the people of Tibet and East Turkestan continue to suffer under harsh and repressive Chinese rule.
In Taiwan, people were fortunate not to be faced with natural or man-made disasters this year as nature kept devastating typhoons and earthquakes away from Taiwan’s shores. The year has been relatively peaceful.
However, there are worrying clouds gathering that need the attention of Taiwanese and their international friends.
This is particularly true of the erosion of press freedom in Taiwan brought about by the takeover of China Network Systems’ cable TV network by the Want Want China Times Group in September and — even more ominously — the purchase of the Next Media Group, which includes the Apple Daily, by the same Want Want group controlled by chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明).
This takeover would be alright if Tsai was a pro-democracy media magnate who respected the freedom of the press and journalistic and editorial independence. However, Tsai has not hesitated to display his support for the repressive rulers in Beijing and has time and again interfered in reporting and editing in the media under his control. The Committee to Protect Journalists and numerous other respected organizations have voiced concerns over the takeover.
The problem is, that with these new purchases, the Want Want group controls about 50 percent of all printed and electronic media in Taiwan — a serious situation under even normal circumstances.
This is a media monopoly in the making.
However, Taiwanese are not living under “normal” circumstances: Their country is being claimed by a giant neighbor and most countries around the world do not accord it diplomatic recognition out of fear of that neighbor.
So, given that background, it would be prudent for the responsible regulatory agencies — the Fair Trade Commission and the National Communications Commission — to think twice before they approve this sale.
If Taiwan is to remain a free and democratic country, it needs to ensure that the basic elements of freedom and democracy remain in place. It is therefore essential that Taiwan’s media do not gradually slide into the control of a conglomerate that is so obviously susceptible to pressures from Beijing.
Free news media is consistently thought of as a critical component of a true democracy and it must be protected. During the American Revolution, one famous “reporter” in 1775, Paul Revere, is said to have alerted patriots that “the British are coming,” before an impending attack.
Plenty of people in Taiwan are clear what could be coming next year.
Nat Bellocchi is a former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan. The views expressed in this article are his own.
I came to Taiwan to pursue my degree thinking that Taiwanese are “friendly,” but I was welcomed by Taiwanese classmates laughing at my friend’s name, Maria (瑪莉亞). At the time, I could not understand why they were mocking the name of Jesus’ mother. Later, I learned that “Maria” had become a stereotype — a shorthand for Filipino migrant workers. That was because many Filipino women in Taiwan, especially those who became house helpers, happen to have that name. With the rapidly increasing number of foreigners coming to Taiwan to work or study, more Taiwanese are interacting, socializing and forming relationships with
Whether in terms of market commonality or resource similarity, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co is the biggest competitor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC). The two companies have agreed to set up factories in the US and are also recipients of subsidies from the US CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law by former US president Joe Biden. However, changes in the market competitiveness of the two companies clearly reveal the context behind TSMC’s investments in the US. As US semiconductor giant Intel Corp has faced continuous delays developing its advanced processes, the world’s two major wafer foundries, TSMC and
The recent termination of Tibetan-language broadcasts by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a significant setback for Tibetans both in Tibet and across the global diaspora. The broadcasts have long served as a vital lifeline, providing uncensored news, cultural preservation and a sense of connection for a community often isolated by geopolitical realities. For Tibetans living under Chinese rule, access to independent information is severely restricted. The Chinese government tightly controls media and censors content that challenges its narrative. VOA and RFA broadcasts have been among the few sources of uncensored news available to Tibetans, offering insights
We are witnessing a sea change in the government’s approach to China, from one of reasonable, low-key reluctance at rocking the boat to a collapse of pretense over and patience in Beijing’s willful intransigence. Finally, we are seeing a more common sense approach in the face of active shows of hostility from a foreign power. According to Article 2 of the 2020 Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法), a “foreign hostile force” is defined as “countries, political entities or groups that are at war with or are engaged in a military standoff with the Republic of China [ROC]. The same stipulation applies to