Taipei, July 18 (CNA) The global press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders officially opened its first Asia bureau in Taipei Tuesday. The new bureau will focus on East Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, North Korea, South Korea and Mongolia, said the Paris-headquartered non-profit organization, which is also known by its French name Reporters sans Frontières (RSF).

It will serve as a strategic platform to exercise influence and action on the multiple fronts in which RSF is engaged, the organization said, citing areas such as advocacy on behalf of press rights, awareness-building in support of specific campaigns, and assistance to journalists.

RSF has 11 other offices worldwide, in Berlin, Brussels, Geneva, Helsinki, London, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Stockholm, Tunis, Vienna and Washington, D.C.

It also has representatives in 130 countries.

(By Chiang Pei-ling and Y.F. Low)
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