In the wake of criticism that the government is violating freedom of press by banning Chinese journalists from Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) countered yesterday with an attack on China's tight control over news coming from Taiwan, and requested that it lift bans on the Internet Web sites of two local newspapers.
"China's attitude toward the media is diametrically opposed to the principle of press freedom. This is what actually deserves criticism," MAC Vice Chairman David Huang (黃偉峰) said yesterday during a press conference.
He said that for starters China should "at the very least" lift Internet restrictions placed on the China Times and United Daily News. China blocks virtually all Taiwanese online news sites.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The council has protested these bans on several occasions, particularly in the wake of the "Anti-Secession" Law that Beijing recently adopted.
Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) had said during an interview with the Taipei Times last month that the removal of internet bans was the first step towards demonstrating a respect for public opinion and repairing the damage rendered by the Anti-Secession Law.
Similarly, Huang also said yesterday that the government's primary motivation in allowing Chinese correspondents to be stationed in Taipei was to promote bilateral ties by way of increasing China's understanding of Taiwan.
Huang's remarks came on the heels of the council's recent decision to suspend permits allowing Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency and the People's Daily to post correspondents in Taiwan.
Huang noted however that its stated goals had not been achieved and had instead served to further strain relations by bringing about misunderstanding.
The council cited the distortion of information and the negative impact the reports had on cross-strait relations as reasons for the ban.
Xinhua News Agency's Taipei correspondent Zhang Mei (
Zhang said that the decision had come as "a shock" and that the council had not contacted her beforehand.
Despite the council's accusations that Xinhua often distorted the truth, she defended Xinhua's reports as "objective and balanced" and said that they had not deviated from their journalistic professionalism.
Another Chinese correspondent posted in Taipei yesterday said on condition of anonymity that the council's decision had made a "joke" of Taiwan's democracy and was a setback for cross-strait ties.
The reporter said that it was untrue that the Chinese media reported only on the negative aspects of Taiwan.
Huang made clear yesterday however that the council was not in anyway clamping down on negative reporting but rather the distorted and manipulative handling of news reports and the subsequent "negative impact" that such reporting had on ties.
"Clear and accurate information is best for cross-strait relations?as for whether the reports reflect negatively or positively [on Taiwan], I don't care," Huang said yesterday, citing reports that Xinhua had carried saying Taiwan welcomed the Anti-Secession Law despite several public opinion polls to the contrary.
He reiterated that the suspension was temporary and that it was motivated by the council's overall assessment of journalistic interactions across the Taiwan Strait.
He said that he hoped to see some regional Chinese media outlets posted in Taiwan.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS