Taipei to ease restrictions on Chinese media in Taiwan

Oct 27, 2009, 12:48 GMT

   Taipei - Taiwan will relax restrictions on Chinese media coverage of the island, in yet another sign of warming cross-strait relations, a senior official said Tuesday.

   Effective immediately, Chinese journalists posted in Taiwan are no longer required to inform the Government Information Office making any reporting trips, said Chao Chien-min, vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's top China policy planning body.

   He said the five national and two provincial mainland media with bureaus on the island will each be allowed to increase the number of staff to five from two, and to rent offices instead of having to stay at hotels.

   With Taiwan still reserving slots for three more local Chinese media, Chao said his council would not rule out allowing more local Chinese media to post journalists on the island in the future.

   'We hope the relaxation could further facilitate the mainland journalists to better understand the pluralistic society of Taiwan,' Chao said.

The relaxation is part of Taipei's efforts to improve media exchanges with China. Beijing has also set strict restrictions on Taiwanese media posting journalists to cover the mainland.

   Taiwan and China were bitter rivals since they split at the end of a civil war, but relations have been improved after China-friendly President Ma Ying-jeou took office in May 2008 and adopted a policy to engage Beijing.