The government strongly condemns China’s interference in Taiwan’s internal affairs and the freedom of its press, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Authorities have long been aware of China’s attempts to influence and pressure local media and a statement by Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Yang (汪洋) only confirmed this, Tsai said.
Wang on Friday said that Taiwanese media should give more coverage to Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework.
Photo: AFP
Wang made the statement following a media summit in Beijing organized by the Beijing Daily Group and cohosted by Taiwanese media company Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時集團).
Other Taiwanese media companies in attendance included United Daily News Group (聯合報), Eastern Broadcasting Co (東森電視) and TVBS Media (聯利媒體).
Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are elements of a democracy most worth cherishing, Tsai said, adding that “we must strive together” to protect those freedoms.
She would ask national security authorities to closely monitor the situation, Tsai said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter that China has one goal: “Defeat from within front-line state Taiwan’s defense of freedom & democracy.”
On Saturday, the Mainland Affairs Council also criticized Wang, saying he was “using a cross-strait media summit as a platform for political propaganda.”
Taiwanese media companies should avoid helping the Chinese Communist Party in its “united front” efforts, it said.
Beijing has been ramping up and diversifying its interference in Taiwanese society since Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) speech marking the 40th anniversary of Beijing’s “message to compatriots in Taiwan,” the council said.
In the speech, Xi extolled China’s “one country, two systems” framework, describing it as the only peaceful alternative to forcible unification through military force.
The nation’s media have a responsibility to uphold the principles of fairness and impartiality in their reporting, and to defend the nation’s hard-fought freedom of the press and freedom of speech, the council said.
Presidential Office spokesperson Xavier Chang (張惇涵) on Saturday said he hoped that media at the summit in Beijing would report on the “brave spirit of criticism” of China that is displayed in Taiwanese society.
That spirit was one of explicit opposition to China’s “united front” efforts, he said, adding that media companies should assist the government and the public in opposing such tactics.
The government was in the process of developing a robust defense network to protect the nation’s democracy and ensure freedom of speech, he said.
Additional reporting by Yang Chun-hui
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents. The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland
RSS