Surveys conducted by academics and student groups show that the number of Taiwanese students studying in China has decreased by one-third since last year.
According to the Taiwan Student Union, the number of students studying in China fell to 2,000 this year from last year's figure of 3,000.
President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration has said it will continue to refuse to recognize diplomas from Chinese universities, and it is thought this policy may have influenced the number of students seeking higher education in China.
Another survey conducted by George Yang (楊景堯), an associate professor at the Tamkang Graduate Institute of China Studies, had similar results.
"More private school students wish to study in China than students in government schools. Those enrolled in humanities programs are more likely to study in China than students who study sciences. Also, students in the south of the country are less willing to study in China than students in the north," Yang said.
However, Yang said that because not all students who study in the south are originally from that area, so the reason for their unwillingness to travel to China to study warrants further research.
The survey showed that 65 percent of students supported recognizing diplomas from Chinese universities, while 50 percent of respondents felt that government recognition of Chinese diplomas would help improve cross-strait ties. However, more than 60 percent of respondents felt that recognizing Chinese diplomas would negatively impact on poorly managed Taiwanese universities and colleges.
The more educated respondents were, the more they favored recognition of Chinese diplomas, with 82 percent of graduate students supporting the question.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it