Restrictions barring Chinese students from enrolling at Taiwanese colleges could be lifted, pending further research into the matter, the nation's top cross-strait policymaker said yesterday.
However, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) officials were quick to equivocate on the issue, stressing that the policy was still being deliberated and that no timeframe had yet been set for its implementation.
During the 11th Congress of the Asian Federation of Taiwan Chambers of Commerce in Kaohsiung yesterday, MAC Chairman Joseph Wu (
"President Chen Shui-bian [
As cross strait economic and civil exchanges become more common, MAC will also relax rules to promote cross-strait exchanges," Wu added.
However, MAC officials pointed to the difficulties that the new policy posed, saying that it would involve cooperation from other agencies, such as the Ministry of Education.
"This policy touches upon so many different issues. For example, if these students are to stay in Taiwan for over a year, there is the question of whether national health insurance should be extended to them. Also, as college is a four year program, we need to consider whether these students can work in Taiwan," MAC Department of Cultural and Educational Affairs Director Chen Huei-ying (
With regards to when the policy could be enacted, Chen responded that the council was "taking it one step at a time."
Despite the difficulties involved, there are precedents for cross-strait educational exchange. Two years ago, the MAC authorized the establishment of Taiwan-based continuing education programs in China. In addition, several Chinese students have been allowed to perform graduate-level research in Taiwan for periods of several months.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
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