Taiwan vows not to be 'silenced' after China expels NYT reporter

Taiwan vows not to be ‘silenced’ after China expels NYT reporter

Taiwan's Presidential Office said Sunday it "will not be silenced" and called China a "troublemaker" for expelling New York Times reporter Vivian Wang in February.focustaiwan+1
China said the expulsion was retaliation for the Times' DealBook Summit airing an interview with President Lai Ching-te; Wang played no role in it.bloomberg+1
The Trump administration revoked a Xinhua journalist's U.S. visa in a reciprocal move, escalating a tit-for-tat press freedom dispute, according to the AP.apnews

Taiwan's Presidential Office on Sunday condemned China's expulsion of New York Times The New York Times Company correspondent Vivian Wang, declaring the island democracy "will not be silenced because of oppression" and vowing to continue engaging with international media despite Beijing's pressure campaign against foreign journalists.focustaiwan+1

The Expulsion

Wang, who had been based in Beijing since 2022, was ordered to leave China in February — the first expulsion of a U.S. media correspondent since 2020. Chinese authorities told the Times that her removal was in retaliation for the newspaper's DealBook Summit 2025, which aired a recorded interview with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te conducted by Andrew Ross Sorkin last December. Wang herself played no role in the interview.bloomberg+4

During the summit appearance, Sorkin referred to Taiwan as a country — a description Beijing rejects — and Lai warned of China's aggressive behavior in the Taiwan Strait, saying "Taiwan will do everything necessary to protect itself," according to the Associated Press.apnews+1

Taiwan's Response

Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said Sunday that it is "normal" for the president of a democratic country to explain its position to the world. Beijing's use of "groundless excuses" and "crude means" to threaten the media will not improve China's international image but instead highlights that it has become "a troublemaker" in the international community, Kuo said.focustaiwan

Taiwan's government would work with partners to ensure international media and journalists are "protected from the threat of transnational repression," Kuo added, without naming specific partners.focustaiwan

U.S. Retaliation

The Times disclosed the expulsion on May 28, with executive editor Joseph Kahn calling Beijing's decision "wrong" and urging Wang's reinstatement. The Trump administration responded by revoking the visa of a Chinese national working for the state-run Xinhua News Agency in the United States, in what the AP described as "an apparent reciprocal act."washingtonpost+2

The tit-for-tat moves underscore deepening tensions over press freedom between Washington and Beijing, with Taiwan caught at the center of the dispute.

Sources (13)