As Taiwan's national news Agency, The Central News Agency (CNA) has been in operation longer than any other media outlet in the country and is also the largest. CNA has the most advanced telecommunications facilities in the country and is known for providing the best domestic and international news coverage. CNA's daily reports are precise, timely, fair and comprehensive.

Founded in Guangzhou (Canton), southern China on April 1, 1924, CNA has developed into an international news agency that cooperates with many other major international news agencies around the globe. CNA relocated to Taipei along with the Nationalist government in October 1949, where it continues to be headquartered. CNA was transformed into a publicly owned, independently run legal entity in accordance with a statute passed by the Legislative Yuan and promulgated by the president in 1996, enabling it to more adequately serve as the country's national news agency for the media and general public, both at home and abroad.

CNA's coverage spans the globe, with correspondents in every city and county in Taiwan and in 35 cities overseas. These reporters not only dispatch timely spot news but also file special and investigative reports and analyses. CNA also makes continual improvements to its operations in line with the rapidly changing media environment and advances in communications-related technology.

CNA has always been on the cutting edge of technology and in November 1990 began transmitting stories via a computer network - the first news organization in Taiwan to do so. In July 1994, CNA launched a global business information service, and in April 1996, set up its own Web site to post real-time news in Chinese, English and Spanish, as well as news photos, to provide domestic and overseas readers with easy access to its news. CNA's general news Web site, www.cna.com.tw, and its business Web site, www.cnabc.com, are among the country's most popular online information providers.

In addition to articles and photographs, CNA began offering programs to radio stations and to airplane inflight entertainment services and the mobile phone industry in January 1994. The agency launched a system in April 2003 to provide overseas Chinese communities with television news abroad daily. At the same time, it also started providing local TV networks with news images whenever any important international events happen in other countries, which marked the beginning of a new era in CNA's history. On June 8, 2004, CNA launched tbm.cna.com.hk Web site to allow global Taiwanese businessmen, especially those in mainland China, to have better access to business information. On July 1, 2004, CNA opened the Buena Vista photo gallery - a photo exhibition hall -- and www.cnavista.com Web site -- a virtual photo exhibition and exchange platform, making it the largest in this regard in Taiwan.

With professionalism, innovation and customer-oriented services as its goals, CNA continues to improve its products and has devoted itself to becoming the leader in adopting technology and enhancing its news services to set a standard that will serve as a guidepost in the media industry and the leading Chinese-language news agency.

As Taiwan's national news agency, CNA has earned a reputation as the leader of the country's media. It has been the news provider for the media at home and abroad for many years and is the country's largest information supplier. Its subscribers cover almost all of the country's newspapers, magazines, television and radio stations, Internet service providers and mobile phone operators.

Besides serving the media, CNA also provides news to government agencies, academic institutions and private industries for them to better understand public opinion and to use for decision-making.

Transmitting news in Chinese, English and Spanish, CNA is Taiwan's only news provider that can offer wide-ranging services with expanding influence.

Creating A Better Information Society

CNA provides about 1,500 items of fair, fast and comprehensive local and international news in Chinese, English and Spanish every day to the media, helping to promote an open information society as well as effectively preserving the multifaceted and balanced media environment in Taiwan.

Serving Overseas Chinese Communities

CNA provides Chinese-language news and features to more than 100 newspapers catering to overseas Chinese communities, keeping Chinese all over the globe informed of events in Taiwan, mainland China and the world.

Promoting International Information Exchanges

In order to help domestic media learn about vital international news, CNA has entered into news exchange cooperation agreements with more than 20 foreign news agencies. It also provides English-language news to media at home and abroad, and Spanish-language news to Latin America to link Taiwan with the rest of the world.

Disseminating the Voices of Taiwan

Operating via telecommunications networks , CNA has endeavored to help publicize Taiwan's governmental policies, economic progress, cultural transformation and social development internationally, thus disseminating the voice of the Taiwanese people.

CNA correspondents around the world file an average of 500 news items every day, covering politics, economics, defense, diplomacy, military affairs, justice, and international and cross-Taiwan Strait affairs, making it the largest news provider in Taiwan.

CNA's business news for the industrial, financial and monetary sector produces around 1,000 articles daily on politics, economics, stock prices, foreign exchange rates, economic indices and the latest developments in international financial markets.

CNA also provides English- and Spanish-language stories concerning major events at home and abroad, important government policy, foreign dignitaries' activities in Taiwan, in-depth reports and lead headlines of local newspapers. All of this is available on the Internet.

News photos

CNA's photos include news and file photos. About 70 to 80 news photos are taken by CNA correspondents at home and abroad every day. CNA also boasts 1.2 million file photos of historic events concerning politics, culture, economics, education, the arts and grassroots events. The photos are stored digitally and constitute the largest photo bank in Taiwan.

Data bank

CNA's system for searching news articles is a compilation of its daily domestic news, foreign news, business news and English-language news. The service is divided into English and Chinese searches as well as a portal for searching business stories. It is the most comprehensive and fastest retrieval network in Taiwan catering to the needs of the general public in Taiwan and overseas.

Publications

CNA began to publish the Chinese World Almanac in 1990 and updates its contents every year. The almanac's Who's Who section has been published separately since 1999 and has become a valuable reference. CNA News Show monthly which began publication July 1, 2003, is the first periodical published by the agency since its establishment. CNA hopes the monthly will be a bridge between Taiwan's development in industry and media and that of the world.

Multimedia, Mobile Communications

CNA has set up a multimedia center to meet the world's need for video and audio news and has thereby become Taiwan's only media organization to have television cameramen in more than 30 cities around the world. It has a digital recording studio at its Taipei headquarters. Bracing for the need for wireless Internet services, CNA began in 1998 to cooperate with mobile phone operators to provide information about business, current events and entertainment to mobile phone subscribers, making it one of the major information sources for many mobile phone operators.