The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation has demanded an apology from China Central Television (CCTV), accusing the Chinese state broadcaster of using “deceptive editing” and distorting the intent of a recent documentary on “comfort women.”
According to the foundation, the Ama Museum in Taipei granted CCTV limited permission to film on the condition that the footage be used solely for public education. Yet when the documentary aired, the museum was reportedly presented alongside commentary condemning Taiwan’s alleged “warmongering” and criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s stance toward Japan. Instead of focusing on women’s rights or historical memory, the program appeared crafted to advance a political narrative favorable to Beijing.
This incident underscores a serious question: Should Chinese state media be permitted to operate in Taiwan?
CCTV is wholly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its editorial line is not independent, and its reporters are expected to follow party directives. This means any reporting from Taiwan is either designed to serve the CCP’s cognitive-warfare efforts or to craft a distorted portrayal of Taiwan for Chinese domestic consumption.
Reciprocal media access would make sense only if both sides operated under comparable conditions. Yet Taiwan’s free-press environment has no equivalent in China. Reporting there is constrained by pervasive censorship and an unwavering requirement to toe the party line. Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) may report in China only when invited, and even then its activities are strictly monitored. Meanwhile, Chinese audiences cannot access unsanctioned Taiwanese reporting due to China’s “Great Firewall” and systematic suppression of outside information. A “reciprocal” arrangement in practice becomes one-sided.
Some argue that a democracy should not restrict journalists, even those from authoritarian states. This ignores the reality that CCTV journalists are not independent actors. They function as organs of the CCP. In an age when information is a key element of hybrid warfare, granting a hostile authoritarian regime unfettered access to film and gather material is not a gesture of openness — it is strategic negligence.
The CCTV documentary shows how easily footage collected in Taiwan can be repurposed to support false narratives. There are already precedents. During last year’s presidential election, a fabricated video circulated purporting to show then-candidate William Lai (賴清德) endorsing a political coalition he never supported. With generative artificial intelligence making fabrication easier and more convincing, raw footage captured by Chinese state media inside Taiwan becomes a powerful tool for disinformation campaigns.
Taiwan gains little from maintaining media access for Chinese outlets. CNA and other Taiwanese media can rely on wire services and international reporting for coverage of China, without placing their own journalists at risk of Chinese surveillance or manipulation. Meanwhile, China would continue to block Taiwanese reporting from reaching its citizens.
Critics claim that restricting Chinese state media violates free speech. Yet Taiwan already places reasonable limits on speech when national security or public order is at stake. The Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法) penalizes the spreading of rumors that disrupt public peace. The Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) targets political influence operations directed by hostile foreign forces. The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) prohibits actions taken on behalf of the CCP that endanger national security. Under these laws alone, Taiwan has clear legal grounds to deny Chinese state media permission to operate.
There is also a moral dimension. Using the historical suffering of comfort women as a tool of political coercion is deeply disrespectful to the victims. Moreover, framing their experience to inflame anti-Japan sentiment serves Beijing’s geopolitical goals, not Taiwan’s national interests or historical understanding.
CCTV claimed its filming was part of a project marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Yet the CCP frequently presents its political initiatives as cultural or educational exchanges — a pattern seen in its outreach to Taiwanese youth and professional groups. Taiwanese must remember that for the CCP, everything involving Taiwan is political. It is impossible for Beijing to engage with Taiwan except in service of its unification agenda. There is no meaningful distinction between state and private media.
To safeguard national security and protect the interests of Taiwan, Chinese state-media journalists should not be permitted to report from Taiwan. Nor should other CCP-affiliated actors be granted operational space here. If institutions in China require non-sensitive information about Taiwan’s museums or public facilities, that information can be reviewed by national-security authorities and released as appropriate — without granting physical access or the opportunity to manufacture narratives harmful to Taiwan.
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