Central News Agency (CNA) – State Media Monitor

The Central News Agency (CNA) is Taiwan’s state-run news agency. Founded in 1924 in Guangzhou, mainland China, it relocated to Taipei in 1949 in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War that followed World War II. Over its century-long history, CNA has evolved from a government-aligned propaganda outlet to a modern news service with a broadened international reach, while retaining its statutory role as Taiwan’s official news provider.

Media assets

News agency: CNA

State Media Matrix Typology

Ownership and governance

CNA, under its current name, was established by the Central News Agency Establishment Act of 1999. The agency was constituted as a non-profit corporation with an initial government grant of TWD 10 million.

It is governed by a board of nine to 15 directors, all appointed by the Prime Minister, and a supervisory board of three to five members, also appointed by the Prime Minister. The board’s primary responsibility is to oversee the agency’s financial management.

In July 2023, Lee Yung-te, former Minister of Culture, was appointed Chairman, a position he continues to hold in 2025. His appointment was widely seen as both a consolidation of experience in public communication and an assertion of government influence over leadership selection. In October 2023, CNA’s chairman Lee Yung-te confirmed Hu Wan-ling’s nomination as president. Her role as president, distinct from the chairman position held by Lee Yung-te, places her as the chief executive overseeing CNA’s day-to-day affairs.

Source of funding and budget

CNA was once heavily reliant on government funding, but in recent years it has significantly reduced this dependence. According to data for the planned budget for 2024, the agency’s total budget stands at TWD 1.12 billion (approximately US$ 34.8 million), with company revenues forming the largest share and the government budget allocation representing about 26%.

Just a few years ago, the picture was very different. In 2019, CNA operated with a total budget of TWD 547 million (about US$ 18.9 million), according to the agency’s financial reports, with the government subsidy covering roughly 57% of that budget.

Editorial independence

Although CNA was originally established to ensure that the views of the Taiwanese government are promoted and heard, the most recent research has uncovered no incidents or evidence that the agency is subject to direct editorial control by the government, nor that the government interferes in its editorial decision-making.

However, CNA has neither a national charter nor an independent external evaluation mechanism to validate its editorial independence. This structural gap means that while operational autonomy is evident in practice, it is not guaranteed through legally entrenched safeguards.

August 2025