World News Media Congress Features Taiwan President as Speaker: "Will Avoid Potential Conflict with China"

General Assembly to be held in Taipei, Taiwan from 28th to 30th
Journalist exposing Iran Amini case awarded 'Golden Pen of Freedom'

Amid rising tensions across the Taiwan Strait (between China and Taiwan), Tsai Ing-wen, the President of Taiwan, appeared as a speaker at this year’s World Association of News Publishers (WAN) conference held in Taipei, Taiwan. She emphasized the commitment to maintaining peace, stating the intention to avoid potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait as well as in the East and South China Seas.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaking at the World News Media Congress on the 28th
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to foreign media including the Philippine outlet Inquirer, President Tsai spoke at the 74th World Association of News Publishers conference held in Taipei, highlighting the need for regional balance amid Taiwan’s geopolitical crisis. She stressed, “To counter China’s influence, the Taiwanese government will fully cooperate with other neighboring countries and democratic partners.”

At the same time, President Tsai stated, “We will also actively respond to disinformation that undermines trust in government institutions.” This remark is interpreted as being mindful of the fact that the conference gathers journalists from around the world. She emphasized how much effort has been made to foster democracy’s prosperity in Taiwan.

She added, “The government and civil society are working to address the issue without curtailing press freedom by empowering individuals to identify trustworthy and truthful information through education and media literacy workshops.”

Meanwhile, the World Association of News Publishers conference continues from this day until the 30th. The WAN-IFRA, which hosted the conference, is a global network formed by over 3,000 media organizations worldwide, playing a role in defending press freedom, supporting the development of newspaper publishing, and promoting global cooperation. More than 950 journalists from 58 countries attended this event.

Vincent Peyr?gne, CEO of WAN-IFRA, explained regarding holding the conference in Taiwan, “It is a show of support for Taiwan’s democracy and free press at a time of heightened international tensions.” He said, “Taiwan’s democratic institutions have demonstrated resilience despite China’s political interference, and the global press must show its support.”

Meanwhile, the “Golden Pen of Freedom,” awarded annually at the WAN conference to individuals or organizations contributing to press freedom, was given to two Iranian female journalists, Niloufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who helped expose the Amini case from the early days of anti-government protests in Iran. Hamedi and Mohammadi are currently detained by the Iranian government. The association emphasized their courage and determination, stating, “When the Iranian regime tries to rewrite history, the journalism of these two women has continuously kept watch without losing sight of the truth.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.