Former CNN news anchor Mike Chinoy will screen his recent documentary, Assignment China: Tiananmen Square, next Thursday evening at Taipei’s American Club. The documentary examines news coverage of Tiananmen, which, according to Chinoy, “redefined the relationship between the press, public opinion and foreign policy making, and continues to influence both Chinese politics and international perceptions of China to this day.”
The film is part of a 12-part documentary series, Assignment China, begun in 2008 in association with the University of Southern California’s US-China Institute, where Chinoy is a senior non-resident fellow.
This film series covers more than eight decades of China reporting, beginning with the episode “The Chinese Civil War” on coverage of China in the 1940s, and concluding with “Follow the Money,” about the vast fortunes accumulated by families of Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) and other Chinese political elites, which was brought to light by US reporters in the 2010s. Every major China story to break in the US is covered in between, and all episodes are available on YouTube.
Photo courtesy of Mike Chinoy
Chinoy’s recent book, Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People’s Republic, just released in March, came as an outgrowth of the documentary project. (See the book review on p14.)
In the introduction, Chinoy writes that the volume includes “many fascinating comments and stories… left on the cutting room floor” as well as nearly two dozen additional interviews. The book’s historical scope extends beyond that of the film and all the way to 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic and recent journalist expulsions by China.
Chinoy, who began covering China in 1976 and has spent 24 years as CNN’s top Asia correspondent, is currently based in Taipei.
Following next week’s screening, Chinoy will hold a Q&A and a book signing. To attend, the American Club requests RSVPs by the end of the day tomorrow.
It’s only half the size of its more famous counterpart in Taipei, but the Botanical Garden of the National Museum of Nature Science (NMNS, 國立自然科學博物館植物園) is surely one of urban Taiwan’s most inviting green spaces. Covering 4.5 hectares immediately northeast of the government-run museum in Taichung’s North District (北區), the garden features more than 700 plant species, many of which are labeled in Chinese but not in English. Since its establishment in 1999, the site’s managers have done their best to replicate a number of native ecosystems, dividing the site into eight areas. The name of the Coral Atoll Zone might
On Monday morning, in quick succession, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) released statements announcing “that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and General Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平) have invited KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) to lead a delegation on a visit to the mainland” as the KMT’s press release worded it. The KMT’s press release added “Chairwoman Cheng expressed her gratitude for the invitation and has gladly accepted it.” Beijing’s official Xinhua news release described Song Tao (宋濤), head of the Taiwan Work Office of the CCP Central Committee, as
Nuclear power is getting a second look in Southeast Asia as countries prepare to meet surging energy demand as they vie for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Several Southeast Asian nations are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and setting ambitious targets and nearly half of the region could, if they pursue those goals, have nuclear energy in the 2030s. Even countries without current plans have signaled their interest. Southeast Asia has never produced a single watt of nuclear energy, despite long-held atomic ambitions. But that may soon change as pressure mounts to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change, while meeting growing power needs. The
Last week saw Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), receive a 17-year sentence for crimes involving political corruption. This was only the opening round: the case is likely to drag on for several more years in appeals. Both the TPP and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are claiming that the prosecutors are engaging in a political witch hunt, green terror, fascism and so forth. It is easy to see this as a kind of compensation. After all, otherwise they would have to admit that the rather impressive collection of evidence against Ko actually
RSS