The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday objected to the term “Taiwanese defectors” that was used on the BBC’s Chinese-language Web site to refer to Taiwanese studying or working in China and those who acquire Chinese citizenship by renouncing their own.
“Taiwanese defectors” are like “Brexiteers” or North Korean defectors, said the BBC Chinese article published on Monday.
The trend of “Taiwanese defectors” moving to China to pursue education or careers or to change citizenship will only grow in the future, it said.
MAC Vice Minister and spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said that Taiwan is a free democratic country and its government has always protected the right to emigration and other fundamental human rights.
Therefore, the term “Taiwanese defector” is not appropriate for Taiwan, because the government respects everyone’s choice to hold and pursue different values, Chiu said.
Meanwhile, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Thursday said that China’s progress over the past decades has changed Taiwanese perception of the nation, Xinhua News Agency reported.
China will continue to welcome students and other Taiwanese, TAO spokesman An Fengshan (安峰山) was quoted as saying.
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