TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠) on Tuesday warned that low-cost China exchange programs for Taiwanese teachers carry risks.
He said visits that cover accommodation and meals while requiring participants to pay only airfare and registration fees can make potential influence efforts difficult to detect, per CNA. He said the council will work with the education ministry to remind schools and teachers to exercise caution.
The warning followed an eight-day, seven-night “Cross-Strait Young Teachers’ Northern Xinjiang Tour” that invited Taiwanese teachers under age 45 to visit China, CNA reported. Participants paid a NT$4,000 (US$124) registration fee, while organizers covered other accommodation and meal expenses.
Shen said such exchanges often highlight the positive aspects of China while overlooking the risks of political influence. He said targeting young teachers may be intended to shape views on national identity and encourage participants to influence others after returning to Taiwan.
He added that China’s focus on young teachers may be intended to create footholds for united front work, allowing participants to influence other young people in Taiwan’s schools. He urged the public to remember that “there is no such thing as a free lunch.”
Hong Pu-chao (洪浦釗), deputy executive director of Tunghai University’s Center for Mainland China and Regional Development Research, said China targets teachers because of their influence, per Liberty Times.
Hong said the itinerary was not a typical educational exchange, arguing that visits to Shihezi University, Beitun Vocational and Technical School, ethnic minority cultural sites, and Xinjiang attractions reflected the Chinese government’s narrative for the region.
