Taiwan’s ranking for press freedom fell three notches from last year to 50th, but it remained the best in East Asia, according to the World Press Freedom Index 2014 released yesterday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The retreat in Taiwan’s global ranking reflected China’s growing economic clout, which has allowed Beijing to extend its influence over the media in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, “which had been largely spared political censorship until recently,” the Paris, France-based media rights watchdog said.
“Media independence is now in jeopardy in these three territories, which are either ‘special administrative regions’ or claimed by Beijing,” the report said.
Despite the setback, Taiwan remained the top-ranked East Asian country for press freedom in the Reporters Without Borders index, fifth in the Asia-Pacific region behind New Zealand (ninth overall), Australia (28th), Samoa (40th) and Papua New Guinea (44th).
As well as in Taiwan, press freedom throughout East Asia took a step backward last year, according to the index.
Japan dropped to 59th from 53rd, South Korea tumbled to 57th from 50th, Hong Kong fell to 61st from 58th and China fell to 175th place from 173rd.
Finland retained the top position in the overall list, ahead of the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg and Andorra.
In its annual report, the group, known by its French acronym RSF, warned of the “growing threat worldwide” from the “tendency to interpret national security needs in an overly broad and abusive manner.”
The US was singled out for the conviction of WikiLeaks whistle-blower Bradley Manning, its pursuit of Edward Snowden, a former contractor at the US National Security Agency, and the secret seizure of telephone records from The Associated Press.
RSF said the US had suffered “one of the most significant declines” in press freedom last year, dropping 13 places to 46th in the 180-country index, wedged between Romania and Haiti.
“Countries that pride themselves on being democracies and respecting the rule of law have not set an example, far from it,” RSF said.
Britain dropped three places in the ranking to 33rd place, with RSF blaming the “disgraceful pressure” it put on daily newspaper the Guardian over its reporting of Snowden’s revelations of widespread spying by the US.
Syria remained especially deadly for journalists last year, with RSF reporting nearly 130 media professionals killed in the country since the civil war began in March 2011.
Syria’s overall ranking of fourth from the bottom was unchanged, but the report raised concerns about a surge in kidnappings.
Armed conflicts hurt press freedom elsewhere, with Mali falling 22 spots to 122nd and the Central African Republic dropping 43 places to 109th.
At the bottom once again were Eritrea, North Korea and Turkmenistan, described as “news and information black holes and living hells for the journalists who inhabit them.”
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
COUNTERING THE PLA: While the US should reinforce its relations with partners and allies, Taiwan must invest in strengthening its defenses as well, Phillip Davidson said If influence in the Indo-Pacific region is one of the US’ core interests, then Taiwan serves as a cornerstone of US economic and security influence in the region, former US Indo-Pacific Command commander admiral Phillip Davidson said on Thursday. “China’s ... strategy is to supplant the US leadership role in the international order ... and they’ve long said ... that they intend to do that by 2050,” Davidson told the National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit in Washington. Davidson said he had previously told US Senate hearings on China’s military activities and possible threats in the Indo-Pacific region that a Chinese invasion of
RSS