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Rally a turning point for the GIO: director-general

Government Information Office (GIO) Director-General Pasuya Yao (姚文智) described China's passage of the "Anti-Secession" Law as a "rare turning point" in the agency's dissemination of information in the international sphere yesterday.

Yao, who attended a question-and-answer session in the legislature that presented the GIO's accomplishments in spreading information in the international community, said many countries came to realize "the bellicose and non-peace-loving nature" of the Chinese authorities after the passage of the law.

Tensions between Taiwan and China got wide coverage since Beijing passed the law on March 14 and most major international media outlets were critical of the legislation, said Yao's report, which was sent to the legislature's Foreign and Overseas Chinese Committee.

Since China unveiled its plan to make the law at the end of last year, the GIO has collected 1,758 stories related to the Chinese law from media outlets in 36 countries. The office also furnished international media outlets with information about Taiwan's official perspective on the legislation, according to Yao.

As the international tide turned in Taiwan's favor, the GIO will strengthen efforts to let the international community understand the Taiwanese people's opinions and introduce the country's democratic system, said Yao's report.

Last Saturday's massive march protesting against the law in Taipei was widely broadcasted, said Yao, adding that the GIO gathered 101 stories on the rally published in newspapers and their Web sites around the world.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chung-mo (林重謨), however, was unhappy that the GIO did not provide foreign media outlets with an official estimation of the number of participants in the March 26 rally.
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