Government officials are mulling lifting a ban on magazines from China in anticipation of Taiwan's entry into the WTO.
The government has long banned Chinese publications, but the regulation will likely be challenged after Sunday when Taiwan is expected to become part of the world trade body.
PHOTO: AFP
The Government Information Office (GIO), in charge of managing media organizations, said yesterday that it is evaluating lifting part of the ban to allow Chinese magazines to be sold in Taiwan.
"After discussions with the Mainland Affairs Council, we think lifting the ban is an option, but several details have to be discussed further," said Su Tzen-ping (蘇正平), director general of the GIO.
Su said that newspapers such as the People's Daily are not under consideration for local publication.
Lee Cher-jean (
"We haven't discussed exactly which Chinese magazines would be allowed, but political and military magazines will definitely not be on the list," Lee said.
"Besides discussing the matter with Mainland Affairs Council, we have to wait and see what happens after Taiwan enters the WTO."
Lee added that any Chinese magazines being imported would have to be re-edited and changed from simplified characters to traditional characters in order for the GIO to approve their publication locally.
The Mainland Affairs Council's department of Cultural and Education, in charge of cross-strait cultural exchanges, declined to comment, saying that they had not yet seen any official GIO documents on the matter.
Under the Statute Governing the Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Chinese newspapers, books and magazines are not allowed to appear in Taiwan without permission from the GIO.
Currently, the Government Information Office allows academic organizations and scholars to import books from China for aca-demic purposes but limits the quantity.
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