Restrictions governing news reporters from mainland China in Taiwan have been substantially relaxed over the past 10 years, the Government Information Office pointed out in the June issue of Exchange Bimonthly.
Exchange Bimonthly is published by the Straits Exchange Foundation, the semi-official body charged with negotiating agreements and consulting on technical and business matters with mainland authorities.
While only three mainland Chinese media organizations sent correspondents to Taiwan in 2008, currently there are nine outlets with reporters stationed on the island, including Xinhua News Agency, the People’s Daily and several smaller agencies.
“To fulfill the ultimate goal of normalizing cross-strait news reporting it is important to help reporters from both sides of the Taiwan Strait enjoy full press freedom, including freedom to interview and report,” said the GIO, which oversees the media industry.
Mainland correspondents were first stationed in Taiwan in 2000, following the GIO’s announcement of relevant regulations. At that time, each media agency was allowed to have two reporters in Taiwan, with stays limited to one month.
Reporters were granted single entry permits, meaning they could not return if they left the island during the permit period. In addition, they had to report trips outside the Taipei area to the GIO and could not travel to offshore islands without permission.
In 2005, the Mainland Affairs Council suspended permission for Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily to station correspondents in Taiwan due to what was seen as unjust coverage of the mainland’s Anti-Secession Law. The number of mainland media stationed on the island dropped to only three after this incident.
When President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, however, he immediately directed relevant government authorities to actively promote normalization of cross-strait media representation, in line with his campaign policy.
Related rules were significantly relaxed June 30, 2008, in the first MAC meeting after Ma’s inauguration. Regulations passed in the meeting included renewed permission for Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily to station reporters on the island, extension of the maximum stay of mainland reporters from one month to three months and the admission of correspondents from up to five local mainland media agencies.
This move, according to then GIO Minister Vanessa Yea-ping Shih, was the first step towards realizing Ma’s campaign policy on the issue and showed Taiwan’s goodwill.
MAC Deputy Minister Chao Chien-ming announced further relaxations in October 2009, right before SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung led a news exchange delegation to mainland China. Each media agency is now allowed to send five reporters, who are free to travel around Taiwan, including to offshore islands, for the purposes of news coverage, without reporting to the GIO.
In addition, mainland correspondents are allowed to establish rental residences in Taiwan through the agencies that invite them, instead of being required to stay in hotels.
The nine Chinese media agencies now having reporters stationed on the island include both central government and local agencies. “The government will continue to increase cross-strait media exchanges and cooperation to promote mutual understanding and stabilize the development of cross-strait relations,” the GIO article concluded. (THN)
Write to Audrey Wang at audrey@mail.gio.gov.tw