Reports about Taiwanese applying to study at Chinese universities have become so common that the government has started questioning the principals of prestigious high schools, and the issue has received much public attention.
Several weeks ago, my department invited a Taiwanese professor teaching at Shanghai’s Fudan University to give an academic speech.
At a luncheon after the speech, he said that about 600 Taiwanese applied to his university this year, and that the standard for admission was Level 72 of Taiwan’s General Scholastic Ability Test. This is the same level for admission as National Taiwan University’s economics departtments.
Many people are probably asking why so many Taiwanese students want to study in China. Part of the answer can be found in a couple of opinion polls.
First, a poll conducted by the Chinese-language United Daily News in November last year indicated that the percentage of the Taiwanese willing to work in China is growing. The figure rose to 40 percent last year, from 25 percent in 2014. Among the respondents, 53 percent of people 18 to 29 years old were willing to work in China.
Next, a poll by Global Views Monthly earlier this year indicated that the percentage of people willing to work in China had surged to 82.5 percent, and the percentage was 89.8 percent among respondents younger than 30.
Third, the United Daily News poll showed that the proportion of respondents willing to send their children to school in China increased from 32 percent in 2016 to 38 percent last year.
Anyone with an understanding of education in Taiwan and China should know that although Chinese universities have risen in global rankings over the past few years, the average quality of instructors at Taiwanese universities is far higher than those at Chinese universities.
This raises the question of why so many Taiwanese and their parents believe that studying in China is a better choice than studying at home. The main reason, of course, has to do with job opportunities and development.
For many years, young Taiwanese have encountered two major difficulties in the job market.
First, wages have remained stagnant. Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) data show that the average annual wage growth from 2000 to this year has been 1.5 percent, while the consumer price index has grown by an average of 1 percent annually.
So, average real wages increased by about 10 percent over the past two decades. The long-term wage stagnation means that the gap between average wage levels in Taiwan and other nations has been widening.
Second, youth unemployment is much higher than the average unemployment rate. Taiwan has tried to maintain the average unemployment rate between 3 and 5 percent since 2000, but unemployment in the 20-to-24 age range is much higher at 11 to 13 percent.
On the one hand, the high jobless rate among young people is related to their tendency to change jobs more often. On the other hand, an important reason is that their salaries often are low due to a lack of work experience.
DGBAS data show that the jobless rate among people 25 to 29 years old is also higher than the national average.
As salaries have remained stagnant for a long time and high-paying jobs are hard to find, the number of Taiwanese working overseas has been continuously increasing.
The data show that 700,000 Taiwanese, mostly highly skilled young people, live abroad long term, because working abroad requires both higher skills and willingness.
In late February, China introduced 31 preferential policies aimed at Taiwanese, including 19 incentives that give Taiwanese working in China the same treatment as Chinese.
In the middle of April, Xiamen introduced 60 preferential policies aimed at Taiwanese, while other Chinese cities, such as Shanghai and Kunshan, unveiled their own incentives to attract Taiwanese.
For example, Xiamen plans to provide 5,000 job and internship opportunities annually to Taiwanese. Along with the incentives in other cities, there will be great opportunities for Taiwanese to work and develop their careers there. This major opening is probably one of the causes why so many Taiwanese students are applying to Chinese universities.
Simply put, Taiwanese students are willing to study in China for better job and development opportunities. By going there, they will gain an understanding of China, which will be beneficial to their careers.
The granddaughter of US President Donald Trump has been learning Mandarin, which is a result of market orientation, rather than a particular preference for China.
Faced with the outflow of talented students, the government should improve salaries and the job market in Taiwan, and come up with measures to attract technical talent from across the world, including China.
Anyone capable of circulating on the global job market is talented, and the same is true for those who are capable of studying abroad. The mobility of talent is unstoppable, so the government’s only policy option is to offer a better job and wage environment.
Steven Lin is a professor at National Chengchi University’s economics department.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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