Published on July 11, 2023
On July 10, the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club (TFCC, 台灣外國記者會) held the first in a series of talks co-organized with the Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ, 台灣新聞記者協會). The inaugural talk was given by Lee Hsi-min, a retired admiral and former chief of general staff of Taiwan’s armed forces. Admiral Lee spoke to members of the TFCC and ATJ about Taiwan’s national defense strategy and civil defense reforms.
The TFCC and ATJ are excited to launch this year-long partnership. Future talks will touch upon key issues such as politics, defense, and diplomacy.
Thompson Chau, TFCC President, said:
“As more and more foreign journalists are based in Taipei, we aim to ensure that the TFCC is a dynamic and inclusive organization that supports their work and reflects their needs. In this critical year for Taiwan, the TFCC has an exciting event programme for members that covers the upcoming elections, geopolitics, defense reforms, the economy, and beyond.
It is an exceptional time for the TFCC and ATJ to work together. TFCC members will benefit from the bridges built with Taiwanese journalists, industry leaders, local dignitaries and experts from different fields.
We encourage foreign media practitioners and individuals with an interest in the news gathering to get involved in the TFCC.”
Cheng Chao-Wen, ATJ President, said:
“Since Ukraine was invaded by Russia, geopolitics has once again become an issue of global concern. The great power struggle between the United States and mainland China has made Taiwan the focus of attention of Western countries. Coupled with the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong, Taiwan has deeply felt the imposition of the Chinese mainland. The news of the communist army circumventing Taiwan and the communist ships encircling Taiwan became the front page of newspapers, forcing the Taiwanese media to pay attention to the relationship between Taiwan and China, and between Taiwan and the world.
The past work of ATJ has focused on improving the professional and labor rights of local journalists in Taiwan.
However, under the influence of geopolitics, ATJ and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) pay attention to the situation of Hong Kong journalists coming to Taiwan, and also pay attention to the news reports under the influence of China.
All these issues need to break down the barriers of the local area and focus the attention of journalists to the world outside of Taiwan. This year, the number of journalists coming to ATJ to apply for a IFJ press card to go abroad for their reporting work has broken the record.”
Notes to Editors:
TFCC – The Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club (TFCC, 台灣外國記者會) is committed to promoting the professional interests of foreign correspondents in Taiwan. The TFCC organizes high-level briefings, networking events and informative programs of interest for foreign correspondents, and fosters engagement between the foreign press and the Taiwanese government. Contact: info@taiwanfcc.org
ATJ – The Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ, 台灣新聞記者協會) was founded on 31rd March, 2001. Nowadays ATJ has more than 300 members across the Taiwanese media industry. For two decades, ATJ has held various international news forums and meetings. Moreover, ATJ was the committee member of the International Federation of Journalists, IFJ till 2019. The relations between ATJ and IFJ allowed ATJ the only organization authorized by IFJ to issue international press certificates in Taiwan. Contact: journalyatj@gmail.com