Authorities have barred a reporter for a Chinese television network from working in the nation, saying he spread “fake news.”
It is the first time a Chinese reporter has been banned for “creating cross-strait conflict,” the Mainland Affairs Council said.
The decision was due to multiple incidents in which Ye Qinglin (葉青林), from Southeast Television in China’s Fujian Province, breached rules governing Chinese media in Taiwan, the council said.
The rules say that Chinese media must stick to a pre-approved plan and follow the principles of fair and objective reporting.
Ye had over the past 10 years regularly been sent to Taiwan on assignment, but his latest application to re-enter had been rejected, the council said.
“The government respects and protects press freedom, but we definitely will not allow Chinese press to spread false information through fake news,” it said in a statement.
Ye had in the past attempted to report at military bases without authorization, council spokesman Chui Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said, adding that he also sparked controversy in February when he accused a Japanese rescue team deployed after an earthquake in Hualien of refusing to go into a badly damaged building out of fear for their safety.
Authorities at the time said it was untrue and some netizens blamed Ye for trying to harm Taiwan’s relations with Japan.
Ye on Facebook frequently criticizes President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her policies and supports Beijing’s belief that Taiwan belongs to China.
His rejection comes as China is increasing military and diplomatic pressure on the nation and Taiwan has said it would tighten screening for Chinese officials applying to visit.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the ban on Ye set a “bad precedent” and that Chinese reporters in Taiwan provided “objective and fair reports.”
Ye on Facebook said that he believed he had been blacklisted for his reporting on the February quake.
“Taiwan authorities can block me physically, but can they block my mouth and my pen?” he wrote. “Increasing cross-strait understanding has always been my pursuit.”
EVA Airways was ranked the eighth-best airline in the world for this year, the only Taiwanese carrier to make it into the top 25 Airline Excellence Awards this year, aviation reviews Web site AirlineRatings.com said on Wednesday. AirlineRatings.com has a seven-star rating system to evaluate more than 360 airlines around the world every year, EVA Airways said in a statement on Thursday. “We are delighted that efforts by the entire EVA staff have been recognized by Airline Ratings,” EVA Airways president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said in the release. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the company identified and adopted services and procedures that enhance and
A promotional event for the launch of a drinks store led to police questioning a 26-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), the Taichung Police Department said yesterday. Police said that they questioned Chang and forwarded the case to prosecutors, accusing her of producing, distributing, broadcasting or selling pornography. Police said she faces charges related to the alleged distribution of indecent photographs on Twitter and using overtly sexual innuendos to promote the store on Monday night. Officers stumbled upon the content during a routine Internet “patrol.” Chang faces a prison sentence of up to two years and up to a NT$90,000 fine if found guilty
Exiled Chinese democracy advocate Wang Dan (王丹) yesterday denied an accusation by former Taiwanese political worker Lee Yuan-chun (李援軍) that Wang had sexually harassed him in a hotel room in New York nine years ago. There was a huge gap between Lee’s accusation and his own understanding and memory, Wang wrote on Facebook, adding it was hard for him to respond further regarding a “unilateral description” made by someone else. Wang made the remarks after his initial response on Facebook was met with criticism, with people saying he did not directly address the allegation. Lee on Friday wrote on Facebook that he
MORE WARNINGS: If the US company does not clarify and solve issues with its frozen berries, the FDA might extend an import suspension implemented last month, it said The Kaohsiung Department of Health yesterday said it fined Costco NT$4.5 million (US$146,265) over contaminated frozen strawberries, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that although the US company had filed an improvement plan, an import suspension on frozen berries could remain. Three types of frozen berry products imported and sold by Costco have tested positive for the hepatitis A virus since April. The Kaohsiung health department previously fined Costco NT$300,000 for not providing the sales list of a contaminated batch of Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend imported from Chile, in contravention of the Communicable Disease Control Act (傳染病防治法). It later
RSS