The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation invited a group of mainland Chinese students to visit Taiwan, and the Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China expressed deep regret over the “inappropriate remarks” made by mainland students on the 1st, which hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people. The group of mainland students visited Taiwan University today (3rd) where they encountered protesting students who shouted, “This is not Chinese Taipei here” and “Support democratization of China.”
The Ma Ying-jeou Foundation invited 40 teachers and students from 7 universities in mainland China to visit Taiwan on November 27, accompanied by Olympic table tennis gold medalist Ma Long and Olympic shooting gold medalist Yang Qian. Song Siyao, a student from Fudan University in Shanghai, mentioned during a visit to the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium on December 1, “On behalf of this group of teachers and students, congratulations to the ‘Chinese Taipei team’ for winning the world championship.” In response to the downplaying of the Republic of China (Taiwan) by the mainland, the Mainland Affairs Council expressed regret on the 3rd and emphasized that the achievement of the Taiwan team in winning the world championship is a glory shared by all Taiwanese and showcases Taiwan to the international community.
According to reports from the Central News Agency, the group of mainland students, led by Qiu Yong, head of the Academic Affairs Committee of Tsinghua University in Beijing, visited Taiwan University this morning and encountered protests. Taiwan University President Chen Wen-chung and Dean of the College of Social Sciences, Zhang Youzong, were at the scene to understand and express concern about the situation with the protesting students.
The protesting students gathered on the first floor of the College of Social Sciences, holding signs and shouting slogans such as “This is not Chinese Taipei,” “Support democratization of China,” “Chinese students come for exchange,” “We want equal exchange,” “Taiwanese students love freedom,” “Reversal of the June 4th Tiananmen Square incident,” and “Support Hong Kong democracy and freedom.” The mainland students passed by the protesting line during their visit.
A student with the surname Qi, the organizer of the protest and a student from the College of Social Sciences at Taiwan University, stated that this protest involved students from different departments who spontaneously participated. Everyone present was a student who loves democracy, freedom, and human rights, hoping to engage in democratic exchanges with mainland students and share the democratic values and human rights issues that China has not been able to address.
Qi pointed out that many Taiwanese students are concerned about stopping military actions against Taiwan, releasing Hong Kong democracy activists, ending the ethnic cleansing practices in Xinjiang, reversing the Tiananmen Square incident, and supporting comprehensive democratization in China. Through exchanges, they hope that mainland students will bring back the messages to China. Qi emphasized that communication should not be one-sided and should allow mainland students to freely express their thoughts. For example, saying “Taiwan is not Chinese Taipei.” The media also created a harmonious atmosphere. Taiwanese people care about democracy, human rights, and freedom values, which are lacking in China.
A student with the surname Zhang mentioned that the event organizers did not fairly allow other students to participate. He also felt that the visit was more of a formal nature. “We feel that since we have come to Taiwan and did not have more interactions, we have a lot we want to share. We want to tell mainland students about the legal education and democratic human rights we have received.” He hoped that this could be a friendly exchange, but unfortunately, it tended to be standardized and lacked opportunities for every student at Taiwan University to participate equally.
Seibachi Akio, executive director of the Indo-Pacific Strategy Think Tank, who served as a reporter in Beijing for ten years in China, posted on Facebook, stating that the remarks made by Fudan University student Song Siyao, such as “I represent this group of teachers and students in congratulating the ‘Chinese Taipei team’ for winning the world championship,” have caused a huge controversy in Taiwan. Many pro-Taiwan friends cannot accept the fact that the Chinese Communist Party is coming to Taiwan to enjoy Taiwanese baseball.
Seibachi Akio said that using the term “Chinese Taipei” to insult Taiwan is entirely in line with the typical superior attitude the Chinese Communist Party has towards Taiwan. Based on his years of reporting experiences in China, he believes that this delegation appears to be for exchanges on the surface. However, before their departure, they should have undergone political screening and training. Their words and actions while in Taiwan are actually being closely monitored. They do not represent themselves but rather the Communist Party regime behind them. Therefore, aside from infiltration and united front tactics, he questions the significance of promoting such cross-strait exchanges for Taiwan.
The Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China pointed out that when the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation applied for the group’s visit to Taiwan, they had promised to adhere to the same rules as last year to ensure the smooth progress of the event. They signed a written statement pledging that the visiting group would not make political statements or propaganda unrelated to the activities. In response to this incident, the Mainland Affairs Council and relevant authorities have already reminded the foundation to strictly adhere to the signed statement to avoid causing unnecessary controversies and opposition among different sectors in Taiwan.