China is using the capitalist system and the free market to influence the media in Taiwan, a symposium at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at George Washington University was told on Thursday.
Even though China is a socialist country, it does not hesitate to use capitalism to exert its influence, Graduate Student Association of National Taiwan University president Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said, one of the organizers of the Youth Alliance Against Media Monsters.
He said that companies with strong pro-China ties had been heavily investing in Taiwanese media. The result, he said, had been a “silencing effect” on those who oppose Beijing’s policies and critics of China in Taiwan had been “marginalized.”
Lin said that Taiwanese laws had left a “gaping hole” for Beijing to exploit. He said Taiwan needs to establish legislation, anti-trust laws and “a clear mechanism” to keep Chinese influence of the media in check.
Louis Chiang , senior East Asia officer at the National Endowment for Democracy, told the symposium on “Media Freedom in Taiwan” that outside of the Internet, the media environment within China itself is a “wasteland.”
She said that many Chinese are “censored, controlled and brainwashed” and that if she were inside China herself she could be “put behind bars” simply for saying so.
Nevertheless, Chiang said, “cracks are developing” and Taiwan still serves as an inspiration for those in China seeking freedom of speech.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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