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.
The muting of the line “I’m from Taiwan” (我台灣來欸), sung in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), during a performance at the closing ceremony of the World Masters Games in New Taipei City on May 31 has sparked a public outcry. The lyric from the well-known song All Eyes on Me (世界都看見) — originally written and performed by Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One (玖壹壹) — was muted twice, while the subtitles on the screen showed an alternate line, “we come here together” (阮作伙來欸), which was not sung. The song, performed at the ceremony by a cheerleading group, was the theme
Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows recently when he declared the era of American unipolarity over. He described America’s unrivaled dominance of the international system as an anomaly that was created by the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. Now, he observed, the United States was returning to a more multipolar world where there are great powers in different parts of the planet. He pointed to China and Russia, as well as “rogue states like Iran and North Korea” as examples of countries the United States must contend with. This all begs the question:
When US budget carrier Southwest Airlines last week announced a new partnership with China Airlines, Southwest’s social media were filled with comments from travelers excited by the new opportunity to visit China. Of course, China Airlines is not based in China, but in Taiwan, and the new partnership connects Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport with 30 cities across the US. At a time when China is increasing efforts on all fronts to falsely label Taiwan as “China” in all arenas, Taiwan does itself no favors by having its flagship carrier named China Airlines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is eager to jump at
Liberals have wasted no time in pointing to Karol Nawrocki’s lack of qualifications for his new job as president of Poland. He has never previously held political office. He won by the narrowest of margins, with 50.9 percent of the vote. However, Nawrocki possesses the one qualification that many national populists value above all other: a taste for physical strength laced with violence. Nawrocki is a former boxer who still likes to go a few rounds. He is also such an enthusiastic soccer supporter that he reportedly got the logos of his two favorite teams — Chelsea and Lechia Gdansk —
RSS