The Education Ministry announced at a meeting Thursday that they are aware of three Chinese universities affiliated with China’s United Front Work Department (UFWD). They will issue a notice in the near future reminding principals, teachers, and other school administrators to avoid or cease cooperation with these universities.
The UFWD is an arm of the Chinese Communist Party that endeavors to influence and control groups and individuals, particularly in the Chinese diaspora, to advance its interests. According to the ministry’s findings, about 2,100 Taiwanese high school graduates are studying at Huaqiao University and Jinan University in Guangzhou, both of which are part of the UFWD.
Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) emphasized that this situation is not ideal and that moving forward, any Taiwanese institutions conducting academic research, talent development, and other activities with UFWD-related universities may face consequences. Cheng said that as long as a school is directly affiliated with the UFWD, all cooperation and exchanges at the university level must be completely terminated.
According to Cheng, the academic qualifications of the aforementioned universities and Beijing International Chinese College, which was also found to be an affiliate, will no longer be recognized by Taiwan in the future. The ministry will develop judicial remedies for any Taiwanese people who studied at these universities prior to the ban.