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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, December 03, 2002

Approval Procedures for Taiwan Reporters Relaxed

According to a newly amended regulation, from January next year, the Taiwan Affairs Office will only approve the application of Taiwanese reporters who are going to hold interviews in provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the Central Government or in Beijing. Other applications will be assigned to the local Taiwan affairs offices in each province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government, city of Shenzhen and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.


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Dec. 2, Spokesman with Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Zhang Mingqing gave a news briefing on the revised "Stipulations for Newsmen's Mainland News Coverage from Taiwan", a move to further reduce red-tape and increase the efficiency of reporters from Taiwan to the mainland.

Early back in Dec. 1996, the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office released its first "Stipulations for Newsmen's Mainland News Coverage from Taiwan" (as "Stipulations" for short hereafter). To further convenience Taiwan newsmen's news coverage on the mainland, strengthen cross-Straits exchange and push ahead with the development of cross-Straits relations as things are now demanded, the State Council promptly decided to introduce some corrections into its past "Stipulations" promulgated. The corrections made are in two major aspects as follows:

One demands a further delegation of power with an accompanying cut of approval procedures by authoritative departments to local levels. Early during the days when newsmen were first seen descending on the mainland from Taiwan, the right of approval was invested with the State Council. Afterwards, for a year-on-year increased number of newsmen from Taiwan and efficient work demanded to convenience their news gathering on the mainland in 1994 and thereon, the State Council delegated the power of approval to three provincial and Shanghai Taiwan Affairs Offices at a local level. Since 1997, the power was further relayed to an elongated list of Taiwan Affairs Offices in 13 provinces, cities and municipalities including Shanghai Municipality and Shenzhen at a local level

Two rules on a big cut of procedures for newsmen from Taiwan applying for "Coverage Certificates" on the mainland. This correction effected with power transfer has much to the convenience of "Coverage Certificates" applicants from Taiwan. This is as things with those coming to gather news in Beijing or at a local level from Taiwan, they need only to apply at China Journalists Association in the capital or at local Taiwan Affairs Offices in various provinces, ethnic minorities autonomous regions, municipalities, Shenzhen and Xinjiang Construction Corps.

The revised "Stipulations for Newsmen's Mainland News Coverage from Taiwan" will be issued and go into effect from January 1, 2003. The corrections will undoubtedly help our newsmen from Taiwan with their news coverage on the mainland and further bring about a strengthening of cross-straits exchanges and a greater development of the cause of journalism on both sides across the Taiwan Straits. No doubt, this specifically underlines the sincerity of the mainland to promote cross-Straits exchanges and development of news coverage both on the mainland and Taiwan.

Cross-Straits news exchange will help promote understanding and strengthen contacts between compatriots on the two banks of the Taiwan Straits, help cement the patriotic feelings of the Chinese nation across the Taiwan Straits, advance the cause of cross-Straits relations and peaceful reunification of the motherland. To this end we have always adopted a positive attitude. The various localities and departments on the mainland are duty bound to give active help and do their best to provide various conveniences to newsmen for their news gathering on the mainland from Taiwan.

But things are not wholly satisfactory with news exchange between newsmen across the Taiwan Straits and an uneven development of this has been seen in news coverage on both sides across the Taiwan Straits. Newsmen sent for news coverage in Taiwan from the mainland as seen so far stand at merely one 20th of those from Taiwan. On the mainland side, we have placed no restraints on newsmen from Taiwan with their setting up stations on the mainland. So far, news institutions as have been approved for news coverage on the mainland from Taiwan have been up to as many as nine news media. With these are also two more Taiwan TV stations with their applications for setting up stations on the mainland are under review by concerned mainland authorities and contrasting these are merely four news media claimed to have news stations in Taiwan. There still remains also China News Agency with its application for a news station in Taiwan having not got the approval.

The Taiwan authorities are trying all its possible to have various obstacles created and placed in obstructing mainland newsmen from going in for news coverage in Taiwan. They have sundry restrictions imposed to block all normal news exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits to be developed regardless of a general dissatisfaction and ill feeling brought among newsmen across the Taiwan Straits against those in power on the island.

Nov. 17, a responsible person representing Taiwan authorities had even uttered some detrimental words harming cross-Straits news exchange. Branding the mainland as an "enemy country" and the mainland media as "doing propaganda for the bandits" he even trumped up his logic crying for "Taiwan independence", spared no words in an attempt to stir up ill feeling of enemies among the Chinese nation across the Taiwan Straits.

By People's Daily Online


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