Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said yesterday the council would push for an amendment during this legislative session to allow Chinese students to enroll in Taiwanese universities.
Accepting Chinese university students would require changes to the Statute Governing the Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例).
Approached for comment on her way to a legislative question-and-answer session, Lai said the council would also push for an amendment to Article 22 of the statute to allow the Ministry of Education to draft regulations on recognizing Chinese diplomas. Lai said the ministry was working on the regulations.
Taiwan does not currently recognize Chinese diplomas.
Minister of Education Cheng Jei-cheng (鄭瑞城) was tight-lipped yesterday, saying only that the ministry was still deliberating on the regulations.
Department of Higher Education Director Ho Chou-fei (何卓飛) said the ministry hoped to see an amendment passed by the end of the legislative session.
Ho said the ministry wanted to “gradually” relax the regulations, adding that it would propose measures related to the changes.
The officials’ remarks came after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on Monday that students from China could be allowed to enroll at Taiwanese universities next year.
Several academics expressed concern over the proposal.
Former education minister Huang Jong-tsun (黃榮村) said yesterday the government should not allow Chinese students to study in Taiwan simply to help out schools that are having trouble recruiting enough students.
Former Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) said the ministry must propose supplementary measures if Chinese students are to be admitted to Taiwanese universities and Chinese diplomas to be recognized.
“There could be chaos if [the ministry] fails to do so,” he said.
National Sun Yat-sen University president Chang Chung-ren (張宗仁) said he was worried that allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan could lead to fewer employment opportunities for Taiwanese college graduates.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned