More than 90 percent of Taiwanese college presidents believe that Chinese students should be allowed to study here, a survey of 110 college and university presidents showed yesterday.
The survey, conducted by the Moodle Education Association, showed that more than 75 percent of respondents think the government should recognize college diplomas awarded in China.
However, most of the respondents said Taiwan should open up to Chinese students incrementally through student exchanges before removing restrictions completely.
“The problem in Taiwan is we have too many schools with not enough students, while China has a shortage of schools ... Allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan would serve the interests of both sides,” said Yang Tun-he (楊敦和), president of St. John’s University.
Allowing Chinese students into Taiwan, he said, would be a wonderful opportunity for Chinese to get to know Taiwan better.
“The US attracts students from all over the world. Even if the students don’t all stay in the US to work, they are the best ambassadors because they tell people all about the US when they go back to their own countries,” he said.
“The whole world recognizes Chinese diplomas. It would be Taiwan’s loss by not following the trend,” he said.
But Yang said that the government should also develop tougher regulations that protect the rights of Taiwanese students before Chinese nationals enter the student body.
A Ministry of Education official said that allowing Chinese students to study here could alleviate low enrollment figures, but the ministry has little power in the matter.
Wang Chun-chuan (王俊權), the deputy director-general of the Department of Higher Education, said that the ministry proposed allowing Chinese students a few years ago but the idea was rejected by the Mainland Affairs Council on security and administrative concerns.
Andy Lin (林瑞國), a 19-year-old freshman at a technical college in Pingtung, said he did not welcome the idea of Chinese students coming to Taiwan because of ideological differences.
The Moodle Education Association was founded in 1996. Chen Han-chiang (陳漢強), a former legislator with the pro-unification New Party, is the foundation’s general-secretary.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all