Taiwan-based colleges and universities are not permitted to engage in activities with Chinese individuals, groups or agencies outside the confines of the law, Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Education has warned tertiary institutions that any exchanges with China that are non-academic are unlawful, Pan told a legislative hearing in Taipei, citing the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
The ministry has sent a notice to all colleges and universities in Taiwan, informing them that “any cooperation with China’s political parties, government or military agencies is unlawful,” Pan said, adding that an investigation into such contacts would be launched.
Pan was responding to questions from legislators after the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Monday reported that the Cross-Strait Tsinghua
Research Institute (清華海峽研究院) had established an office at National Tsing Hua University’s (NTHU) main campus in Hsinchu City without securing approval from the government.
In its notice, the ministry said that all cross-strait educational exchanges must be made in compliance with the law, including the employment of teaching personnel, to prevent any recurrence of such activities.
Academic exchanges “between the two sides must be held on an ‘equal and mutually-beneficial’ basis,” the notice said. “All on-campus activities, including the use of facilities and rented spaces, must be in line with Article 33-1 of the act.”
Without government approval, universities are not allowed to engage in cooperation with individuals; institutions; political, military or administrative agencies in China; or any political propaganda groups in that country, the ministry said.
Extralegal exchanges might compromise Taiwan’s interests and national security, the ministry added.
On Monday, the institute office at NTHU was ordered to close and its personnel sent to China.
The institute was founded in Xiamen, China, in 2015 by NTHU’s alumni association, Beijing-based Tsinghua University and the Xiamen City Government.
In a statement on Monday, NTHU said that the institute was partly founded by several NTHU alumni, but has no direct relationship with the university itself.
The institute rented an office on NTHU’s campus via the Tze-Chiang Foundation of Science and Technology, an organization founded by NTHU alumni, the university said.
On Tuesday, NTHU reiterated that it was not involved in the operations of the institute, after then-NTHU president Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) was found to have attended the institute’s opening ceremony in April 2016.
The university said that Wu did attend the event, but was not part of the institute’s operations.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man