President Tsai meets delegation from Reporters Without Borders
During a meeting on the afternoon of July 17 with a visiting delegation from the Reporters Without Borders (RSF), President Tsai Ing-wen stated that the group's decision to establish its first Asia bureau in Taipei is extremely significant. She also expressed hope that this cooperation model will attract more international NGOs to establish bureaus in Taiwan, which will help Taiwan to contribute more to global human rights issues.
In remarks, President Tsai first welcomed the RSF delegation to Taiwan, and said: "From now on, Taiwan is home to the RSF." The organization issues a World Press Freedom Index each year, and in this year's index Taiwan ranked 45th worldwide and No. 1 in Asia, thus highlighting the importance that the government and society in Taiwan place on freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
Pointing out that the RSF and Taiwan have long-standing ties, President Tsai thanked the organization for the many times it has called for Taiwanese reporters to receive equal treatment when performing their duties in international settings, helping other countries understand the challenges Taiwan faces in the global arena.
The president noted that this past April 7 was Taiwan's first Freedom of Speech Day, and on that same day the RSF announced plans to establish its first Asia bureau in Taipei. This was a very significant decision that acknowledges Taiwan's efforts to protect freedom of the press and pursue democratic principles, and is also a great honor.
President Tsai expressed confidence that the Taipei bureau will become one of the best RSF bureaus in the world. Taiwan has a very active civil society, a highly developed and free Internet environment, outstanding human resources, and is internationally acknowledged for its convenient and comfortable lifestyle possibilities. The president stressed that the establishment of an RSF bureau in Taipei will spur the people of Taiwan to pay more attention to press freedom issues, and said that Taiwan's civil society will become an indispensable part of the worldwide freedom of the press movement.
In concluding her remarks, President Tsai expressed hope that this cooperation model will attract more international NGOs to establish bureaus in Taiwan, which she said would strengthen Taiwan's links to global civil society and help the nation contribute more to global human rights issues. She also conveyed her best wishes for a successful RSF press conference scheduled for the following day to mark the establishment of its Asia bureau.