The Chinese mainland has urged the Taiwan authorities to lift a
ban that forbids two leading mainland news organizations,
People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency, to have reporters
in Taiwan.
"In April 2005, the authorities in Taiwan very rudely and
unreasonably banned Xinhua and People's Daily from stationing
reporters in Taiwan," said Li Weiyi, spokesman for the Taiwan
Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference in
Beijing on Wednesday.
"It directly impaired the news reporting work of the two news
organizations, harmed the interests of their customers and damaged
cross-Straits media exchanges," he said.
The mainland allowed Taiwan media organizations to station
reporters on the mainland in 1993. By April 2005, 12 Taiwan media
organizations had stationed reporters in mainland cities, including
Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.
Taiwan authorities announced limited access to journalists from
mainland in 2000. Five mainland official news organizations -
Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, China Central
Television (CCTV), China National Radio and China News Service -
were granted permission to station reporters in Taiwan.
In April 2005, the Taiwan authorities barred Xinhua News Agency
and People's Daily from stationing reporters on the
island, arguing that their journalists reported conflicting
opinions to those held by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
and Taiwan authorities.
The move?met with?sharp criticism in both the mainland
and Taiwan. An article carried in the United Daily News
newspaper in Taiwan called it "the most serious setback in media
exchanges across the Taiwan Straits" and said "the decision will be
ridiculed by the international community".
At present, only three mainland news organizations are allowed
to send journalists and photographers to Taiwan on a monthly
rotation basis.
The mainland issued a set of regulations on Wednesday offering
Taiwan journalists more convenience in reporting on the mainland in
the run-up to and during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
(Xinhua News Agency December 28, 2006)