Taipei [Taiwan] February 21 : The Ministry of Education is looking to discuss the possibility of inviting Chinese students to pursue their studies in Taiwan, however, there has been no reply from Beijing, Taipei Times reported citing Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng statement.
During his speech at the National Conference for University Presidents in Taiwan, Chiu urged China not to leverage educational exchanges as a means to implement "united front" strategies.
The minister was asked to speak on cross-strait relations and relevant policies, Taipei Times reported.
Since 2004, around 20,000 agreements have been made between educational institutions across the strait, and the exchanges in education have gradually returned to stability following the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Last year, approximately 2,000 Chinese students travelled to Taiwan for short-term studies and over 300 Chinese school administrators or vice presidents visited Taiwan for exchanges, Chiu mentioned. Nevertheless, he stated that China continues to seek control over the number of Chinese students studying in Taiwan, Taipei Times reported.
The Taipei Times report highlighted that in 2020, China imposed a temporary ban on Chinese students enrolling in Taiwanese institutions due to the pandemic and political circumstances, resulting in only about 1,500 students remaining in Taiwan last year, he noted. Conversely, he pointed out that China has been attracting Taiwanese students to study within its borders, thereby creating an imbalance in cross-strait educational exchanges.
The Taiwanese government has already put in place 10 policies to promote Chinese students studying in Taiwan, such as acknowledging more Chinese qualifications, raising admission quotas for Chinese students, and since February of last year, broadening the National Health Insurance system to include Chinese students, he asserted in the Taipei Times report.
The Taipei Times report revealed that Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao announced this week that Taiwanese institutions will be prohibited from collaborating with four Chinese universities due to security apprehensions: Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, Jinan University in Guangzhou, and Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College.
The council will honour the ministry's decision and work together accordingly, Chiu stated as cited by Taipei Times
Educational exchanges should be grounded in reciprocity, respect, and fairness, he remarked, asserting that the restrictions on Chinese students coming to Taiwan often stem from stringent regulations imposed by Beijing rather than Taipei, highlighted by the Taipei Times report.