Taipei, Feb. 3 (CNA) Nearly 100 guests representing foreign missions in Taipei, as well as international and domestic media and government officials attended a launch party Wednesday for CNA's new English-language Web site, Focus Taiwan (focustaiwan.tw).
Guy Ledoux, head of the European Economic and Trade Office, said that since the establishment of the CNA, the foreign community has always relied on it as a truly dependable source of information.
"It is precisely due to this reason that a Web site like Focus Taiwan will play such an essential role for us," Ledoux said, adding that the news agency's effort is "testimony to Taiwan's freedom of speech." "The function of a Taiwan editorials abstract is extremely valuable as it gives an insight of Taiwanese opinion makers, " Ledoux noted, referring to a new section on the Web site.
Welcoming the guests, CNA President Chen Shen-ching said the agency is offering news services for the Internet age. Focus Taiwan provides real-time English-language news reports, while mobile phone news services in Chinese and English started Feb. 1, and video news will soon be available online and for mobile phones.
Addressing the occasion, Vice Premier Eric Liluan Chu said that while the 86-year-old CNA has reported on major news events and has recorded the history of the Republic of China over the decades, the agency's English-language news serves as the voice of the nation to the world.
Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) Chairman Wang Chi-kang said in his speech that like economic and trade personnel, journalists play the roles of pioneers on the international frontier.
In today's era of globalization, Taiwan's contributions should be made known to the world, Wang said, adding that TAITRA and CNA should work together to promote the country's integration with the world.
The features of Focus Taiwan include Talk of the Day, a roundup of various newspaper reportage on the events of the day; editorial abstracts from six of Taiwan's major newspapers; Forum, which presents views on issues of concern; and Who's Who, which offers background information on the newsmakers.
Presenting Taiwan's many faces through real-time, objective and in-depth reports in English, Focus Taiwan hopes to function as the prime English-language news resource in Taiwan.
In Ledoux' words, CNA's new package of service provides easy access to news stories and more communication options in a time "when we are sometimes lost in identifying what information is relevant."