Young Taiwanese participating in internship programs at Chinese state-run companies might find themselves sidelined, as part of Beijing’s “united front” propaganda, without access to the host company’s core knowledge and skills, an academic said yesterday.
Beijing in 2016 launched the “Silverhawk Program” as part of its “united front” strategy targeting young Taiwanese, a campaign that continues this year.
The Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland announced that internships at Chinese state-run companies are available for Taiwanese college students majoring in accounting, economics, finance, insurance, law, foreign languages, mathematics, computer science or related fields.
Photo: Reuters
The internships are to run until Aug. 8.
A source on condition of anonymity said that China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) has directed provincial agencies responsible for Taiwanese affairs to mobilize dozens of state-run companies in major cities to provide internships for 274 Taiwanese college students.
The program is also being promoted through state-controlled media, including the Strait Herald, which is based in China’s Fujian Province, the source said.
While interns would need to cover their round-trip airfare, their food and accommodation would be provided by the host companies, along with a daily subsidy of 100 yuan (US$14).
Host companies for the internship program are primarily state-run entities, including China Tourism Group (中國旅遊集團), China National Agricultural Development Group (中國農業發展集團), China State Construction Engineering Corp (中國建築集團), Agricultural Bank of China (農業銀行), Bank of China (中國銀行), Kunshan Rural Commercial Bank (昆山農商銀行), Bank of Communications Co (交通銀行), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (工商銀行), Beijing Stock Exchange (北京證券交易所), Shanghai Stock Exchange (上海證券交易所), Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (鄭州商品交易所), China International Capital Corp (中國國際金融公司) and China Financial Futures Exchange (中國金融期貨交易所).
The locations of the companies vary, with offices spanning across cities and provinces such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Henan, Zhengzhou, Zhejiang, Fujian, Xiamen, Guangdong, Shenzhen, Kunshan and Hainan.
The program has also sparked discontent among Chinese Internet users, with some commenting on the Strait Herald’s Facebook page, questioning why Chinese students are not offered the same opportunities to work at Chinese state-run companies with decent compensation.
An official familiar with Chinese “united front” tactics, who requested anonymity, said that Beijing has enhanced the long-running program by instructing major city-based companies to allocate quotas specifically for Taiwanese students.
“Following Beijing’s request, these companies have opened two to three additional vacancies for Taiwanese interns at the top,” they said.
While national universities in Taiwan rarely cooperate with Chinese agencies on such matters, private universities — particularly the student affairs offices at private universities of science and technology — are more likely to assist in recruiting students for internships in China, the official said.
This is due to the reliance of private colleges on Chinese students to sustain their operations, they said.
However, the host companies, following Beijing’s directives, are unlikely to allow Taiwanese interns access to their core business operations, the official said.
Summer internships are not an effective “united front” tactic against young people, as summer camps focused on tourism and entertainment would likely be more appealing to them, they said.
In related developments, Beijing has launched a new program encouraging young Taiwanese to seek employment or start businesses in Xiamen.
China’s Fujian Province authorities announced that by the end of last month, Taiwanese graduates with an interview notification, offer letter or employment certificate, as well as Taiwanese entrepreneurs in Xiamen with a business registration certificate, could apply for free accommodation for three days and two nights.
National Cheng Kung University political science professor Hung Chin-fu (洪敬富) said that Beijing has been targeting young Taiwanese and local governments by offering various incentives, such as subsidized internship programs, summer camps and field trips, all aimed at promoting “united front” ideas.
Chinese students cannot intern at top Chinese companies without paying, while Taiwanese students are not only offered internships for free, but also receive allowances, he said.
However, students from National Cheng Kung University who have participated in such programs reported that they “did nothing most of the time,” Hung said.
Students told him that host companies dressed them in uniforms and provided employee ID cards, but only assigned them trivial tasks, such as handling unimportant documents, he said.
While these interns had the prestige of working at a global top 500 company, they were ultimately reduced to mere “united front” models, unable to access core technology or important projects, he added.
Foreign investments and companies have been exiting the Chinese market for the past three years, and these internship opportunities are a facade of China’s economic development, he said.
The true goal is to draw young Taiwanese to China for employment or entrepreneurship, while offering temporary or permanent residential permits in an attempt to change their national identity, Hung said.
Additionally, Beijing’s move aims to prop up the local real estate and hotel industries, as many building projects and housing remain abandoned across China, he added.
By offering Taiwanese students free accommodations in Xiamen, Beijing is subsidizing local real estate companies using “united front” funds, while promoting what it calls “cross-strait integration and development,” Hung said.
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