TAIWAN: Academics against opening doors to Chinese

Opening the doors to Chinese students and recognising Chinese diplomas are a government strategy to accelerate unification with China and will force Taiwanese institutions to close, academics said at a Taiwan Solidarity Union press conference last week, reports Jenny W Hsu for Taipei Times.

Hsu Chung-hsin, an associate professor of law at National Cheng Kung University, said Chinese students who pursue higher education in Taiwan would be government-funded or would plan to stay and work in Taiwan after graduation. "In other words, Chinese students who come to Taiwan will either have the political motive of spreading unification rhetoric to hasten Taiwan's annexation by China or will end up stealing jobs from local students after graduation," he said.

Kuo Sheng-yu, former commissioner of Taipei City's Department of Education, disagreed with the government that opening universities to Chinese students would attract top-quality students and save cash-strapped schools from bankruptcy. As Beijing has agreed to allow Taiwanese high school graduates to go to college in China, there will be a significant outflow to study across the Strait, he said.
Full story on the Taipei Times website