Taiwanese appear divided over whether the government should allow more Chinese students to return to their studies at local universities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a poll released yesterday by the Grassroots Influence Foundation showed.
The Ministry of Education on Aug. 5 announced that all foreign students could return to their studies in Taiwan, but later that day said that the policy did not include all Chinese students, sparking criticism.
According to the ministry, Chinese students who are to graduate this semester have been allowed to return since July 22.
Photo: Rachel Lin, Taipei Times
Asked if they support the government allowing Chinese students to return to their studies in Taiwan, 43 percent of respondents expressed support, while another 43 percent expressed disapproval, the poll showed.
Asked whether they think that restricting Chinese and other foreign students from returning would endanger the survival of many local universities, 46 percent disagreed, while 32 percent agreed.
Asked whether the government’s policy on Chinese students hinges on political considerations, 48 percent agreed, while 38 percent disagreed.
The poll found that 76 percent of respondents considered the COVID-19 situation in China more serious than in other parts of the world.
Asked whether Taiwan should maintain a confrontational or friendly posture toward China, 64 percent opted for friendly ties, while only 15 percent chose confrontational relations, the poll showed.
Respondents aged 18 to 29, more than other age groups, showed more support for confrontational relations with China, it found.
Despite 46 percent of respondents saying that restricting Chinese and other foreign students from returning would not affect the survival of local universities, foundation poll section convener Chen Sung-po (陳松柏) said that keeping Chinese students from returning could affect the income and operations of many schools.
“Our democracy can be an inspiration to Chinese students,” he said.
Institutions of higher education in Taiwan could lose NT$880 million (US$29.82 million) per year if the government continues to block Chinese students from returning, Private Education Association chairman Tang Yen-po (唐彥博) said.
Taiwan and China are overly sensitive and are politicizing the issue, former Shih Chien University president Michael Chen (陳振貴) said.
Taiwan from Jan. 26 suspended the entry of Chinese students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while China in April stopped Chinese graduates from pursuing further study or work in Taiwan.
China should acknowledge the existence of Taiwan, as well as the difference between their political systems, so that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait can peacefully promote academic exchanges under the principles of parity and mutual benefit, he added.
The poll, conducted by the TVBS poll center, collected 1,076 valid samples, and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
RSS