Taiwan students start China fraternity

A group of Taiwan students studying in China set up an association in Taipei yesterday morning, the first of its kind, to safeguard their rights and interests, Chinese-language media reported yesterday.

Founding members of the Association of Taiwan Students Studying in China (台生會) include more than 30 Taiwan students attending schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Tianjin, Xiamen and other major cities in China, the report said.

Chu Jung-pin (朱榮彬), a doctoral degree candidate at Beijing University, was elected chairman of the new student association. Chu made clear the association's goal, saying, "The association is aimed at facilitating contacts among Taiwan students on the mainland, protecting their rights and interests, and promoting academic and cultural exchanges and peaceful interaction across the Taiwan Strait."

He added that the association has yet to make progress or receive aid from relevant Taiwan authorities. Above all, Chu maintained that the association was a non-partisan group and expected all political parties in Taiwan, such as the KMT, the DPP and the PFP, to support its cause.

DPP lawmaker Hsu Chung pi-hsia (許鍾碧霞), whose son is studying in Beijing, joined the ceremony, accompanied by KMT Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中) and PFP lawmaker Diane Lee (李慶安).

Another DPP member, Shen Heng-teh (沈恆德), who holds a doctorate in law from Beijing University, endorsed Chu's view, saying, "Our association does not have any political inclination, and our main goals are to protect Taiwan students' rights and help boost cross-strait academic and cultural exchanges."

Ting claimed it was high time a club was founded to help promote Taiwan students' rights and cross-strait rapprochement.

"Those who visit the mainland for studies are trailblazers in cross-strait ties as it's the best way to understand others' ways of thinking and to strengthen friendships with them," Ting said.

Ting added that the unsettling atmosphere across the Taiwan Strait was rooted in both sides' failure to face up to reality, the report said. Ting cited Taiwan's refusal to recognize China's academic accreditation as being impractical. One of the association's top priorities, therefore, is to urge the Taiwanese government to acknowledge degrees acquired in China.

Due to the current circumstances, the actual number of Taiwan students pursuing academic studies on the other side of the Strait remains a "puzzle." However, according to unidentified student sources, it is well-known that previously, China-bound Taiwan students, now in their 30s or 40s, would usually major in politics, Chinese herbal medicine, or economics, the report added.

Last but not least, KMT lawmaker Ting suggested that Taipei's Mainland Affairs Council (陸委會) soon offer scholarships to encourage Taiwan students to pursue studies in China. By doing so Taiwan is likely to cultivate more intellectuals specializing in mainland affairs in the future.