Taiwan announced on Feb. 20 that it will no longer recognize academic credentials from mainland China universities associated with China’s United Front Work Department (UFWD). Taiwan’s Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao said the UFWD is an arm of the Communist Party of China, and schools associated with it are therefore political in nature, rather than “normal, academic-oriented” institutions.
Universities in Taiwan must now suspend any cooperation with the three affected universities: Huaqiao University in Fujian, Jinan University in Guangdong, and the Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College.
Cheng said that there are presently more than 2,000 Taiwanese students studying at these mainland institutions; they will be offered accommodations to allow them to complete their degrees or transition to other institutions carrying over their credits.
China has been increasing its recruitment of talented high school graduates from Taiwan. Mainland universities can offer scholarships and reduced tuition, and accept the results of Taiwanese college examinations in the application process.
Kuomintang Chairman Eric Chu disagreed with the policy, saying it had “mean political motives.”
