An increasing number of Taiwanese academics, especially those with a doctorate, have been employed in China in recent years, and I have frequently been invited to work there, but the outflow of such people is a threat to Taiwan’s national security.
It has to be clarified that this is a policy adopted to make China strong, instead of a policy favorable to Taiwanese. Prestigious Chinese schools — such as Peking University and Tsinghua University — are not inferior to Taiwanese universities in terms of teacher quality.
However, it is a different story outside highly developed areas. Due to the decade-long Cultural Revolution, the number of professors and lecturers is woefully inadequate and very few have doctorates. The quality of education cannot but be low under such circumstances.
“The purpose of China using Taiwanese talent is to lift the academic level of the massive number of Chinese students, as well as the cultural level of Chinese people; who still spit on the floor and not close the bathroom door,” a friend who recently had a job interview in China said.
As for the large number of “overseas Chinese returnees,” as one a friend studying abroad, said: All Chinese students who study abroad are the children of the rich. They mostly study for a bachelor’s or master’s and then return to China to enjoy fame and fortune; they seldom work toward a doctorate abroad.
Since not many of these returnees hold a doctorate, China must try to attract talent from Taiwan.
One should not expect to make money teaching in China. It is looking for young academics — under 45 — and people are typically offered a three-year contract with a modest salary.
Obtaining a national research project is a different matter. That is where the money is. The purpose is to lift the academic level of China by luring young academics to work hard.
Importantly people who have a certain attitude toward national identity should not work in China. There are Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chapters and secretaries in every university and they monitor what is taught and said in personal interactions.
As the Chinese economy continues to grow, arrogant and imperious “rich kids” might show their hostility toward and depreciation of Taiwanese. Teaching in a negative atmosphere like this, if you accidentally comment on the Taiwan or China issue, you could easily be labeled a “black sheep.”
Even if you are willing to surrender your principles for a higher salary, China is likely to shut the door. Taiwanese artists serve as good examples of this. Do not ever imagine that academic freedom is available in China.
China has launched its grand tactic to attract Taiwanese academics to improve its student quality and academic standards. With the advantage of the same language and ethnicity, Beijing can achieve its goal of building power through education by offering minor benefits to Taiwanese. Taiwan would lose all its advantages if China can achieve this goal.
However, the Ministry of Education does not appear to be prepared to treat this as the national security threat that it is.
Hsu Hsiao-wen is an associate professor in the Department of Applied English at Kainan University.
Translated by Eddy Chang
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) were born under the sign of Gemini. Geminis are known for their intelligence, creativity, adaptability and flexibility. It is unlikely, then, that the trade conflict between the US and China would escalate into a catastrophic collision. It is more probable that both sides would seek a way to de-escalate, paving the way for a Trump-Xi summit that allows the global economy some breathing room. Practically speaking, China and the US have vulnerabilities, and a prolonged trade war would be damaging for both. In the US, the electoral system means that public opinion
They did it again. For the whole world to see: an image of a Taiwan flag crushed by an industrial press, and the horrifying warning that “it’s closer than you think.” All with the seal of authenticity that only a reputable international media outlet can give. The Economist turned what looks like a pastiche of a poster for a grim horror movie into a truth everyone can digest, accept, and use to support exactly the opinion China wants you to have: It is over and done, Taiwan is doomed. Four years after inaccurately naming Taiwan the most dangerous place on
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
RSS