President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday promised to open the nation to more Chinese students, while stressing the government’s continued efforts to ensure the rights of local students.
Allowing Chinese students to study in Taiwan is part of Ma’s policy of promoting cross-strait exchanges. This year, the government began a program that opened more than 100 colleges and universities to 2,000 Chinese students each year.
This year, 928 Chinese students took advantage of the program to enroll in Taiwanese schools, the Ministry of Education said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Speaking at an annual meeting of college and universities directors, Ma said the government would discuss the idea of allowing more Chinese students to enter institutions of higher learning.
“I proposed the idea of opening up the nation for Chinese students seven years ago, but we must take cautious steps when implementing this policy. The rights of local students to higher education should remain our priority,” he said.
Under the policy, 67 universities are allowed to admit a total of 1,123 Chinese students and 65 technology colleges can take 877, in line with an annual quota of 2,000 imposed by the government.
The quota should not affect the original recruitment plan of the participating schools and Chinese students who enroll in the schools are not eligible for scholarships.
They are also banned from taking exams to obtain certifications and cannot stay in Taiwan after they graduate.
Several university heads, including Shih Hsin University president Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘), said the limitations and low number of Chinese students in Taiwan was a problem and urged the government to relax the regulations and allow more Chinese students to enter.
Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) said the ministry would review the policy next year and discuss the possibilities of allowing more Chinese students without revising the current regulations.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS