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Reject Beijing's educational offer: panelists

"Japan is an example. It allowed Chinese to study there and now it is plagued with the illegal Chinese immigrants who stay in Japan in the guise of students."

-- Hsueh Hua-yuan, dean of National Chengchi University's Graduate Institute of Taiwan History

The problems caused by allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan will outweigh any benefits such a program could bring, panelists at a forum on cross-strait issues said yesterday.

The forum hosted by Taiwan Advocate was held to discuss Beijing's offer to allow Chinese university students to study here and to allow Taiwanese colleges and universities to recruit students in China.

Beijing made the offer on April 29 during a forum on cross-strait economics and trade cosponsored by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). China said its offer was an "extension of cross-strait educational exchanges."

Panelists at yesterday's forum called Beijing's offer a "Pandora's box" that would bring "endless troubles."

People who support the idea have said it would resolve the problem some private colleges face in not being able to recruit enough students, said Hsueh Hua-yuan (薛化元), dean of National Chengchi University's Graduate Institute of Taiwan History.

These people feel it could also open Chinese people's eyes to Taiwan's liberal society and democracy, while Chinese students could help revive the local consumer market, he said.

"This policy might also cause many social problems, such as overstaying visas and crime," he said. "Japan is an example. It allowed Chinese to study there and now it is plagued with the illegal Chinese immigrants who stay in Japan in the guise of students."

Whether to recognize Chinese academic records and diplomas is another problem, he said.

"There have been frequent academic exchanges between Taiwan and China. To allow Chinese to study here would complicate the security check system if the number of Chinese students increased rapidly," Hsueh said.

Former Taiwan Solidarity Union legislator Cheng Chen-lung (程振隆) said the quality of higher education in Taiwan is already deteriorating and allowing Chinese students to study here would only exacerbate the problem.

"Over the past decade, the budgets for higher education have not increased at as fast a pace as the opening of new colleges in Taiwan. The quality of academic achievements has not improved much either," Cheng said.

Cheng said Beijing could be trying to entice the chancellors or presidents of private colleges.

"The real intention of this policy is political. It is a big temptation for people who run private schools in Taiwan," Cheng said.

Chen Chun-sheng (陳春生), an honorary professor at National Taiwan University's Graduate Institute of National Development, said China might try to use this offer to get Taiwanese to recognize its regime.

"It is nothing but a soft trick in its war of unification against Taiwan. I urge the government to stand firm and not allow the KMT and the CCP to attain their aim of creating unrest in Taiwan," Chen said.
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