The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday denied that Chinese exchange students had been prevented from coming to Taiwan through overly complex application procedures.
In a statement, the MAC said the government “has consistently welcomed Chinese students to Taiwan to study,” and blamed Beijing for “obstructing” exchanges.
Earlier this week, local media reported that China had halted exchanges due to Taiwan’s failure to readily open its borders to teachers accompanying students.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Under Taiwanese law, Chinese universities have the opportunity to apply for teachers to join student groups traveling to Taiwan, but the approval process is often regarded as challenging.
Chinese-language United Daily News (UDN) said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese teachers often had the option to visit Taiwan through an independent tourist program.
However, these individual travel arrangements have become more difficult after Taiwan reopened its border to Chinese students early last year, UDN said, citing Shih Hsin University Vice President Lee Kung-chin (李功勤).
Another source told UDN that Chinese education authorities strongly advise the presence of teachers on trips to Taiwan due to the cross-strait situation and Chinese universities have put exchange programs on hold because they cannot make the necessary arrangements.
The MAC said this reporting was incorrect, adding that nine teachers from Chinese schools such as the Dongying Vocational Institute in Shandong Province were granted travel permits to Taiwan last year.
The MAC added that it was processing teachers’ applications from Quanzhou Normal University in China’s Fujian Province.
Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency said 2,420 Chinese students pursued studies in Taiwan between January and November last year.
Regardless, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) confirmed Thursday that several local universities had been informed about the halt by their Chinese counterparts — namely the schools in Jilin, Shaanxi and Guangxi provinces, as well as Chongqing.
The SEF did not elaborate on the reasons behind the Chinese schools’ decision but said that application procedures remain ongoing in some other local schools.
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