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Editorial: Beijing infiltrates local media

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 (兩岸人民關係條例), Chinese capital may neither directly nor indirectly, through firms of third countries in which they hold more than 20 percent of the stock, invest in the media, there are many ways to circumvent the law. In any event, if the investments were done through firms of third countries, it is very difficult to trace the real source of the funding.

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.
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