Taiwan’s democracy and academic independence are invaluable, and universities should be cautious about exchanges with China, President William Lai (賴清德) said today at an academic conference in Yilan.
He made the comments at the 2025 National Conference for the University Presidents of Taiwan, the same week as officials warned about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to influence Taiwanese university students and blacklisted two Chinese universities.
Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) yesterday said Taiwanese institutions would be banned from collaborating with Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou after national security officials found that both schools are under the direct control of the CCP political warfare bureau.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Education
Additionally, during an eight-day educational trip in China's Sichuan Province for Taiwanese students on Tuesday last week, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Deputy Director Wu Xi (吳璽) told participants they should oppose Taiwanese independence and advocate for the good of the Chinese people.
A government official speaking on condition of anonymity warned that such trips are part of “united front” tactics by the CCP.
Lai laid out four key goals for Taiwan’s educational sector — ensuring that no student is left behind, promoting collaborative development among universities, encouraging innovation in higher education and increasing government support for institutions.
The Ministry of Education must allocate resources to provide equal opportunities for all students, even those from rural areas; ensure universities are fostering interdisciplinary talent, promote new possibilities for academic development, support students in pursuing international experiences and assist in setting up private-public collaborations, Lai said.
One of the initiatives Lai cited was the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative, to which the government has allocated NT$10 billion (US$306 million) to fund opportunities for Taiwanese youth to travel overseas.
To raise awareness of national defense among the entire population, the Presidential Office established the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, Lai said.
Regarding China, Lai said that institutions must be aware of the risks and join the government in protecting the country’s core key technologies, research and competitiveness.
Taiwan’s freedom and democratic way of life are “precious” assets, Lai added.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
RSS