Central News Agency (Republic of China)
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The Central News Agency (traditional Chinese: 中央通訊社; simplified Chinese: 中央通讯社; pinyin: Zhōngyāng Tōngxùnshè) is the state news agency of the Republic of China. It was founded in Guangzhou, China on April 1, 1924 and was relocated to Taipei, Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War when the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan.
The agency was incorporated in 1973, though it continued to receive heavy government subsidies, and remained the nation's official state agency. At the time, journalists from CNA received preferential treatment on various occasions, mostly government-related press conferences. On July 1, 1996, the agency took the form of a non-profit organization under a bill passed by ROC's Legislative Yuan. Until today, the agency is still the nation's official news agency and receives part of its funding from the central government. However, its media influence is said to have diminished a great deal due to a rise in competition after the government decided to lift restrictions on mass media.
CNA sends out news in Chinese, English, French, and Spanish. It has a 300-strong employee base and has overseas branches in some 35 countries. It works with a number of well-known news agencies around the world, such as the US-based Associated Press, Reuters and France-based Agence France-Presse.