Taiwanese Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao announced Thursday that the island’s universities will no longer collaborate with three Chinese institutions due to their affiliation with the United Front Work Department, the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda arm.
Cheng stated that these Chinese universities serve a political agenda rather than a purely academic one. To prevent political influence operations, Taiwan will halt cooperation and exchanges with Jinan University, Huaqiao University, and Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College. The three schools currently enroll about 2,000 Taiwanese students, many of whom were drawn in by tuition waivers and simplified enrollment processes.
While individual students may still communicate with these institutions, Taiwan will no longer recognize degrees earned from them. The decision follows similar moves by the United States, Europe, and Australia, which shut down Confucius Institutes due to their role in spreading Chinese Communist Party influence.
Taiwanese legislator Wu Szu-yao defended the ban, arguing that China tightly controls the number of its own students allowed to study in Taiwan, creating an imbalance in educational exchanges. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs minister, Chiu Chui-cheng, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that cross-strait educational exchanges should be based on reciprocity, respect, and fairness.
The opposition Kuomintang party, which has a more conciliatory stance toward Beijing, criticized the move, calling it a political stunt by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party ahead of the 2025 elections. KMT chair Eric Chu Li-luan accused the government of creating division instead of fostering engagement.
The ban reflects Taiwan’s broader efforts to counter Beijing’s influence and safeguard its academic institutions from political interference. As tensions between Taiwan and China continue to rise, the decision signals a firm stance against any attempts to manipulate the island’s education system for propaganda purposes.
While critics argue the move could limit academic collaboration, supporters maintain that protecting Taiwan’s sovereignty and ensuring a politically neutral learning environment must take priority. With 154 other Chinese universities still recognized, Taiwanese students seeking opportunities in China will have alternatives, but the impact of this policy on future cross-strait relations remains to be seen.
