According to the press release of the government of Taiwan, ROC, “Reporters Without Borders” will open its first Asian bureau in Taipei.

As this announcement by “Reporters Without Borders” coincided with the nation’s first “Freedom of Speech Day”, the government of Taiwan welcomed the decision, gratified to see the organization affirm its human rights guarantees and freedom of speech.

“Reporters Without Borders”, an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) that promotes freedom of the press, has been praised for its efforts to protect reporters from persecution, as well as its consultative status at the United Nations (UN), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Council of Europe. The organization also publishes an annual World Press Freedom Index, and the 2016 edition found Taiwan maintaining its 2015 ranking at No. 51 out of 180 countries worldwide, the highest ranking in Asia.

The right to exercise freedom of speech was a turning point for Taiwan’s democracy, and has become an important core value for the nation’s democratic development. Freedom of the press, meanwhile, is the foundation for consolidating Taiwan’s democratic reform. Because freedom of speech and the press embody the spirit of “Reporters Without Borders”, the ROC government welcomes the decision by the international NGO to open its Asian bureau in Taipei, which is expected to facilitate its works in countries across the region, including mainland China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Mongolia and Taiwan.

Taiwan is a completely democratic nation where citizens enjoy the full measure of human rights and free speech. Domestic NGOs are thriving, and the ROC government welcomes all international NGOs to set up bases there. The government is confident that “Reporters Without Borders” will operate successfully in Taiwan’s free and democratic environment, and play a larger role in promoting press freedom in Asia.

Taipei Trade and Economic Representative Office in Ulaanbaatar