Xinhua, People's Daily urge Taiwan authorities to rescind decision

The Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily on Monday urged the Taiwan authorities to immediately withdraw the decision to suspend permission for their correspondents to report from Taiwan.

Xinhua is "surprised and regretful" at Taiwan's decision to suspend, for the time being, permission for the agency's correspondents to report from Taipei, said head of Xinhua's Taiwan Affairs Office.

"What the relevant department of Taiwan has done does no good for journalistic exchanges across the Taiwan Straits," he said, noting that Xinhua reporters are always known for their professionalism in covering news in Taiwan in an objective, fair and comprehensive manner.

"Xinhua's assignment to Taipei should not be barred," he said, urging Taiwan to rescind its decision immediately.

On the same day, a spokesman with the People's Daily's Taiwan Affairs Office also made a statement on a similar decision made by the relevant department of Taiwan on barring the paper's correspondents from reporting in Taiwan.

The People's Daily is regretful and "indignant" at the decision and called it an "action of turning back the clock", which has blocked the normal reporting and interrupted the cross-straits media exchanges, said the spokesman, who also urged the Taiwan authorities to resume the paper's assignment of correspondents to Taipei.