Voice of America... or China? VOA drops Chinese-language programs on Taiwan dispute

Voice of America will cancel two of its Chinese-language programs that covered the escalating political tensions between China and Taiwan, according to internal messages.

The government run news service has long faced criticism for covering the communist Chinese regime in a manner Republicans consider too sympathetic, according to the Washington Times.

VOA spokeswoman Anna Morris insisted that the cancellations did not reflect a change or softening of the outlet's China coverage, but were part of a shift VOA is making toward digital more digital formatting. Moreover, Morris pointed to the increase in VOA personnel assigned to cover China.

“We have increased our on-the-ground presence in Taiwan from two to eight journalists,” she said, per the Times. “We are putting more emphasis on the web and social media, where Chinese and Taiwanese viewers can access content on demand more easily than they could over linear broadcast.”

She further noted that Taiwan material would not disappear from the network, asserting that the subject would be a prominent feature of existing programs.

“Our weekly Taiwan-focused TV program ‘Strait Talk’ will end, but coverage of Taiwan will expand on our daily ‘Issues and Opinions’ talk show, allowing more comprehensive and timely discussions of Taiwan and China issues," she said.

The move comes as China spouts increasingly bellicose rhetoric toward the island and its allies. Ostensibly, both the People's Republic of China in Beijing and the Republic of China in Taipei espouse the existence of a single Chinese state including the territory of both governments, though each regime claims to be the rightful ruler of that polity.

Adherence to the "One China Principle" as it is known, means Taiwan does not formally claim to be an independent nation. Beijing regards the island as being under separatist control, though the communist government has never administered the island. Taiwan became the Republic of China's last outpost after it lost the Chinese Civil War in 1949 and leader Chain Kai-Shek ordered his forces to evacuate the mainland.

Tensions have dramatically escalated amid House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's diplomatic visit to Taiwan in early August, which Chinese critics asserted was indicative of U.S. plans to intervene in what it considers a domestic affair. Threats of military action have poured out of Beijing with one propagandist even suggesting that the military shoot down Pelosi's plane. The People's Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills around the island following her trip.