Executive Yuan Spokesperson Kolas Yotaka issued a statement regarding Sunday's street rally in Taipei opposing the "red media," saying Taiwan is a free and democratically open nation, and that freedom of speech and the press is an important core value for the country.
The rally to "reject the red media, defend Taiwan's democracy" reflects the public's growing concerns about Chinese infiltration into Taiwanese media, she said. The government will continue employing the two-pronged model of legislative and administrative oversight to bolster national security, ensure social stability, and protect democratic development.
The nation must guard with redoubled caution against China's many attempts to infiltrate, divide, suppress and blockade Taiwan, Kolas said. To safeguard the nation's security, the government has passed a raft of regulatory amendments just this year alone, including to the National Security Act, the Classified National Security Information Protection Act, the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, and the Criminal Code.
Around the world, many democracies are coming under assault from fake news as well as false information originating from abroad. As Taiwan continues its anti-misinformation campaign, it will combat the dissemination of false information in a manner that protects democratic values and preserves the freedom of speech, Kolas said.