Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday accused the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government of backtracking on promises not to retroactively recognize Chinese educational credentials from 41 selected Chinese universities.
Under amendments to the University Act (大學法), the Vocational School Act (專科學校法) and the Act Governing the Relations between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) passed on Aug. 19, Taiwanese colleges and -graduate schools will begin accepting Chinese students next spring. The number of Chinese students admitted to local universities in the initial stage of the program cannot exceed 1 percent of total -enrollment. That equals about 2,000 students nationwide.
The amendments included articles stipulating that Taiwan would recognize educational credentials from 41 selected Chinese universities, with the exception of -medicine-related certificates, adding that the regulations could not be applied retroactively. Not written into law, but attached as a resolution, was a ban on Chinese students working part-time during their studies.
The amendments were promulgated and put into effect on Sept. 3.
However, yesterday Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) said the ministry was considering recognizing Chinese educational certificates received after 1992 if those holding the certificates file a request with the ministry and the certificates are deemed valid after verification.
Although the three amended pieces of legislation are not retroactive, the Act Governing Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area stipulates that rules -governing the review and recognition of Chinese education credentials shall be drafted by the ministry, Wu said.
Wu said the ministry would not take the initiative to verify Chinese educational certificates issued before the three laws took effect and would only verify the documents when it receives requests from diploma holders and the certificates would “go through a very strict verification process.”
During yesterday’s question-and-answer session at the legislature, DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) criticized the ministry for failing to keep its promise and asked Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to reject the policy should the ministry propose it to the Executive Yuan.
The premier did not declare his position on the issue, saying only that the ministry’s proposal has not yet been referred to the Executive Yuan for approval.
The government will not change its position and the government will not retroactively recognize Chinese diplomas that were obtained before Sept. 3, Wu Den-yih said.
As to whether the government would “passively” recognize Chinese educational certificates issued before promulgation of the amendments, the premier said the Executive Yuan would assess the issue thoroughly. He did not elaborate.
DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) blasted the government, saying: “The public will completely lose confidence in the government’s credibility if the measure to be adopted by the ministry is approved by the Executive Yuan.”
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS