In order to carry out the pledge contained in the May 20 inaugural address of President Chen Shui-bian, and to take the initiative to transmit our goodwill intentions, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) declares that the Government will allow on a trial basis two reporters of a fifth Mainland news agency, the China News Services, to be stationed in Taiwan to cover news events, effective from today.
In his May 20 inaugural address, President Chen Shui-bian stated that, “We hope to continue under the existing foundation to push forth the current liberalization policy while expanding related measures on cross-strait journalism and information exchanges.” To carry out President Chen’s pledge and take the initiative to show our goodwill intentions, we have decided to allow on a trial basis of two months two reporters of a fifth Mainland news agency, the China News Services, to be stationed in Taiwan to cover news events, after an assessment has been made by the Government agencies on the actual needs. Whether or not official relaxation measures will be taken will depend on an evaluation to be conducted when the two-month trial period expires.
The Mainland Affairs Council states that since November 10, 2000, Taiwan has allowed the reporters of four Mainland news agencies, namely, the Xinhua News Agency, the People’s Daily, the Central People’s Radio Station, and the China Central Television, to be stationed in Taiwan to cover news events. As of July 19, 2004, there have been 126 batches totaling 241 Mainland reporters who have been stationed in Taiwan, which has been significantly beneficial to furthering the Mainland side’s understanding of the actual situation in Taiwan. This is also treated by the Government as an important measure for normalized cross-Strait information exchanges. In the future, we will continue to promote every form of exchanges that is conducive to the normalization of cross-Strait relations, to help preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and, based on this foundation, to establish benign interaction in cross-Strait relations.