Academics have called on the government to crack down on researchers selling their work to China, saying that most research is funded by taxpayers and should belong to the private institutions where the researchers are employed.
Those who run for leadership roles in public universities should be honest and upright, but cases such as the last presidential election at National Taiwan University (NTU) and most recently at his own university showed that this is often not the case, Liu Chih-cheng (劉志成), a chemical engineering professor at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology in Taipei, said on Wednesday.
Those who take on part-time appointments, or participate in China’s Changjiang Scholars or Thousand Talents programs might contravene the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) or Article 34 of the Act Governing the Appointment of Educators (教育人員任用條例).
Through the two programs, China aims to attract international academic talent, including from Taiwan, and this allows it to purchase Taiwanese research for a comparatively small sum, Liu said, adding that the government subsidized that research for a decade or more using taxpayers’ money.
However, as academic institutions have no authority to conduct their own investigations, the government must take responsibility and investigate cases in which academics are suspected of illicitly working in China or selling Taiwanese research there, he said.
In many cases, China buys the results of Taiwanese research programs for several million New Taiwan dollars, while those programs cost the nation several hundred million NT dollars, said Chen Ping-hei (陳炳煇), a professor at NTU’s College of Engineering.
“This is like a formidable martial artist submitting to their adversary without a fight,” Chen said. “If you want cross-strait academic exchanges, then you need to establish memoranda of understanding on a school-to-school basis.”
China has in the past few years invested heavily in attracting Taiwanese academic talent as part of its “united front” campaign, Private School Educators president Yu Jung-hui (尤榮輝) said.
“Taiwanese who take up positions in China are subject to brainwashing, and China has not slowed its infiltration of Taiwanese schools, despite the impact of COVID-19 and the backlash against Hong Kong’s national security legislation,” Yu said, adding that if the nation allowed academics to participate in Chinese programs, it would lead to a “red disaster” for the development of technology in Taiwan.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS