The political views of most of the Taiwanese students who took part in Beijing-sponsored journalism and media-related exchange activities remained mostly unchanged, a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) study published on Sept. 24 showed.
China in the past few years has presented events for young reporters, content creators and influencers in a bid to sway the national identity and political views of Taiwanese, the abstract of the MAC-funded research said.
The study was conducted using data collected last year, it said.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
The events failed to change the Taiwanese national identity of the participants and might have backfired by giving young Taiwanese first-hand experience of Chinese political censorship and repressive practices, it said.
Most Taiwanese students attended exchange events hosted by the Chinese government for personal reasons, the study said.
A desire to learn, networking, career opportunities, interest in events promoted as part of the courses, low attendance fees and peer influence were the most commonly reported motivations for attending, it said.
Respondents who went to China for internships or student exchange programs usually did so as part of a plan to achieve specific objectives, while those who attended short-term events focused on exploring and finding new experiences, the study showed.
The responses showed that participants were mostly self-interested and focused on gaining tangible benefits from the activities, it said.
The most common types of activities hosted by China were short-term study programs, internships and competition or exhibition-type events apparently designed to cater to the academic and career needs of Taiwanese students, it said.
However, “Taiwanese” was the most common self-reported national identity among those who took part in China-sponsored events, the study showed.
Moreover, respondents said that personal experience was more important than the activities they attended in shaping their political views, it said.
Taiwanese attending exchange programs and activities in China reported gaining more knowledge about China, not all of which was positive, the study said.
Beijing’s political censorship, repression of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, heavy-handed responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and a massive unemployment rate among young people in China were among the insights young Taiwanese visitors to China gained, it said.
The factors have led to a decline in the attraction of Chinese government-sponsored exchange events among Taiwanese, it said.
Aspiring journalists, content creators and influencers who attended the events knew that Chinese minders were following them, that their content created at the events was subject to politically motivated censorship and that they had to censor themselves, it said.
The study’s authors recommended that the government educate Taiwanese students in media literacy and Internet safety to reduce the susceptibility of young people to Beijing-directed cognitive warfare, as well as mitigating the risk of leaking sensitive personal data.
The MAC should establish a social media-based community or Web site to provide safety tips for young people seeking work in China to protect them from being exploited by malicious groups, it said.
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