Taiwan bars Chinese newspaper 'Strait Herald' from stationing reporters: MAC

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday announced the Chinese newspaper "Strait Herald" (海峽導報) would be indefinitely suspended from stationing reporters in Taiwan due to its "united front work."

"The media outlet has a clear nature of engaging in united front work targeting Taiwan... We believe the Strait Herald is no longer a legitimate media platform," said Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), deputy head and spokesperson of the MAC, without elaborating on the specifics or the reasoning for the timing of the decision.

Liang added that Lin Jingdong (林靖東), a member of the Strait Herald management committee, was found -- by the Taichung District Court in August -- to have fabricated opinion polls about Taiwan's 2024 presidential election in a bid to sway public opinion and interfere in the election.

However, it was unclear if there was a link between Lin producing the polls -- featured in several Taiwanese news media -- and the Strait Herald, or if they were conducted on behalf of China's united front effort.

As well as Strait Herald reporters, Taiwanese authorities will also suspend the newspaper's parent organization, the Fujian Daily Newspaper Group, from having reporters based in Taiwan, Liang said.

He said the Strait Herald currently has one reporter in Taiwan, whose permit expires on Jan. 23. That reporter will not have to leave early, he added.

Chinese reporters granted permission by Taiwanese authorities to station in Taiwan can stay for up to three months at a time, according to the MAC.

It is currently unclear if reporters from any Fujian Daily Newspaper Group title will be allowed to visit on a more short-term basis.

The united front strategy by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to influence and co-opt individuals or organizations to advance its political and strategic goals, including pushing for unification with Taiwan.

In response to the MAC's announcement, Chen Binhua (陳斌華), spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, MAC's counterpart across the Taiwan Strait, said later Thursday that the suspension was an act of "smearing with groundless accusations" against Chinese reporters stationed in Taiwan for their "legitimate reporting activities."

There are currently eight Chinese media outlets with 12 reporters stationed in Taiwan, including the China Central Television, China National Radio, Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, China News Service, Xiamen Star, Strait Herald and Hunan Broadcasting System, according to the MAC.

Meanwhile, Liang said that between 2014 and 2023, 679 individuals had their Taiwanese household registrations, ID cards and passports revoked after they were found to have Chinese household registrations or passports, in violation of Taiwanese law.

A documentary by Taiwanese YouTubers Pa Chiung (八炯) and Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源) on Dec. 28 claimed that Taiwanese people have been encouraged by the Chinese authorities to apply for Chinese ID cards, with around 200,000 obtaining the document.

In the one-hour film, the YouTubers interviewed a Taiwanese businessman who claimed the Chinese government permits Taiwanese citizens to obtain a Chinese ID card while retaining their Taiwanese ID card, Taiwanese passport and Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents.

Liang said that relevant authorities in Taiwan are investigating to verify the accuracy of the businessman's claim.

He added that, according to Chinese regulations, Taiwanese people are required to surrender their Taiwanese identification documents to Chinese authorities when obtaining a Chinese ID card.

One possibility was that local officials in China may have chosen not to comply with the regulations for personal gain, Liang said.

He added that the Taiwanese authorities will investigate whether the Chinese central government is aware of the situation and "tacitly approves it."