'Only observe': Taiwan bars mainland China journalists on short-term permits from covering elections

Ahead of the 13 January presidential election in Taiwan, journalists from across the globe are gathering in the island nation. However, reporters arriving from mainland China are facing particularly stringent restrictions on covering the elections. According to a South China Morning Post report, citing an anonymous Taiwanese immigration official, mainland journalists with short-term permits are only permitted to observe and are explicitly prohibited from writing anything about the elections, even if they successfully navigate the application process for their visit. This regulation, not present in previous elections occurring every four years, led a mainland Chinese reporter from the South China Morning Post to cancel plans to travel to Taiwan. Interestingly, journalists of non-mainland origin from the same organisation remain unaffected by this rule. Additionally, mainland reporters already based in Taiwan are allowed to cover the election without restrictions. The imposition of reporting restrictions, seemingly targeting mainland Chinese citizens, occurs amid escalating distrust and hostility between Taipei and Beijing in the lead-up to the highly anticipated election. This development has prompted concerns about the state of press freedom in the democratic island, a significant focus in the campaign rhetoric of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Observers attribute these recent events to the prevailing cross-strait distrust or a perceived lack of confidence by the Taiwanese ruling party.

Observers put the latest events down to cross-strait distrust or the Taiwanese ruling party’s lack of confidence.

A politician from the mainland-friendly opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) suggested the reporting restrictions indicated the DPP’s lack of confidence.

“If I were the DPP, I would allow mainland journalists to report in Taiwan,” South China Morning Post quoted the KMT politician as saying. “Why don’t they have such confidence?” he asked.

As per the immigration official in Taipei, mainland Chinese media outlets have the authorization to deploy their reporters to Taiwan on a rotational basis for a maximum duration of six months, allowing them unrestricted movement throughout the island. However, it’s important to note that this pertains to the formal arrangements for the extended placement of reporters in Taiwan and doesn’t encompass the short-term permits typically issued for election coverage. Official statistics from Taipei reveal that in the initial eight months of the previous year, eight mainland media organizations dispatched a total of 15 journalists for prolonged stays in Taiwan. This followed a decline in their numbers in 2021 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. “As for individual reporters, they can only apply to visit with an invitation from an institution or organisation in Taiwan. But after they are allowed in, these people can only observe – they are not permitted to report or cover news events,” South China Morning Post quoted immigration official as saying, adding that this was a reciprocal arrangement with Beijing.

More than 235 overseas journalists from 113 media organisations gathered in Taiwan to cover the last presidential elections in 2020, the media outlet cited figures from local authorities.

Another Taiwanese immigration official said the rule relating to special permits was implemented because of the “sensitivity” of the elections.

Under this rule, entry to the island is not guaranteed as the Taiwanese government must work on a case-by-case basis, with decisions depending on “national security considerations”, the official added.

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Also, for the first time in decades, no academics from mainland China will travel to Taiwan to observe the elections this year, added the report.

The upcoming elections will take place amid years of tense cross-strait relations, a situation that originated with the election of Tsai Ing-wen from the independence-leaning DPP as president in 2016. Throughout her term, there has been a notable increase in diplomatic interactions between Taiwan and Washington, as well as other Western governments. This has led Beijing to intensify its efforts in applying military, political, and economic pressure on the island, particularly in the recent year. Beijing perceives Taiwan as a separatist region awaiting reunification, and views the heightened engagement with foreign powers as a direct challenge to its sovereignty. While the majority of countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, they stand united in opposing any alteration of the current status quo through force. With inputs from agencies