TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday criticized CBC News for changing its description of Taiwan from a country to a “self-ruled island."
On June 14, Canada's largest news broadcaster posted an article on the alleged ties between Bliss and Wisdom, a Buddhist group with operations on Prince Edward Island, and the CCP. The piece originally described a high-ranking monk from Taiwan as traveling “between his home country, Prince Edward Island, and China" in 2023 at the invitation of a Buddhist group that reports to the United Front Work Department.
However, on June 17, the news channel issued a clarification in which it said, “In that story, the reporter said Taiwan is a country that China is threatening to invade." It then added, "In fact, Taiwan is a self-governing island, and there is dispute around who controls it.”
When asked to comment on the change, MOFA told Taiwan News that Taiwan "is a sovereign and independent country, and is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China.” The ministry said that while Taiwan has always respected press freedom, it regrets and is disappointed to see international media engage in self-censorship or deliberately avoid using the term “country” to refer to Taiwan due to political pressure from China or concerns about Beijing’s stance.
The ministry urged the media to uphold principles of objectivity and fairness, and to report on Taiwan from a professional perspective that accurately reflects its status as a democratic country governed by the rule of law. News coverage should not be compromised by interference from external forces, as this undermines the essence of press freedom.
By Friday, the video broadcast announcing the clarification had disappeared from the CBC News website. However, the text announcement of the change remained in the corrections and clarifications section of the website.
CBC News has yet to respond to a request from Taiwan News for comment.
