Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday condemned Chinese censorship after entertainer Chen Chia-hsing (陳嘉行) said his recommendation for a new book was removed due to pressure from a Chinese publisher.
Chen yesterday posted on Facebook an image of a letter he received from the editor-in-chief of the unidentified book’s Taiwanese publisher.
In the letter, the editor-in-chief, whose name was blacked out in the online image, began by thanking Chen for agreeing to write a recommendation for the new book.
Photo: Screengrab from Facebook
According to publishing regulations, the book cover must be reviewed by China’s CITIC Press Group, the letter said.
Last week, the Chinese publishing company informed the book’s author that Chen’s recommendation must be removed if the book is to be published, it said.
The editor-in-chief said that having worked in the industry for more than 10 years, it was the first time they ever encountered something like this.
The editor-in-chief asked the Chinese publisher for a reason, but has yet to receive a response, the letter said.
Since it is too late to withdraw plans to publish the book, the company had no choice but to remove Chen’s recommendation from the cover, it said, expressing the company’s regret.
In a brief statement posted alongside the image, Chen apologized for causing the Taiwanese publisher trouble and said he is aware of Chinese censorship, especially toward Taiwanese.
“Politics is politics, publishing is publishing,” he wrote.
Chen might have run afoul of Chinese censors because he had previously publicly expressed his support for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
In his statement, Chen also called on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to “take a look at Tibet” as it proposes signing a peace treaty with China.
The incident highlights the difference in freedom of speech in Taiwan and China, DPP Legislator Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said.
In Taiwan, excluding cases that contravene defamation laws or other laws, any views that are critical of politicians, such as Tsai or Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), are protected by freedom of speech, she said.
In contrast, Chinese censorship is not limited to publishing, but also extends to television shows, she said, citing as an example reports that a male entertainer’s ears were blurred out because he was wearing earrings.
DPP Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) called the slogans that politicians use to describe Taiwan-China relations, such as “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family,” ironic in light of the incident.
The incident shows that China maintains strict control on published content, DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said.
China has repeatedly attempted to weaken or eliminate Taiwan’s “most precious” values, including freedom of thought, democratic speech and human rights, she said.
Although what happened in Chen’s case is new, similar situations could continue to occur, she added.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS