NTHU Cross-Strait Research Institute Fined
News Compiled by Taiwan Weekly
The alumni association of Taiwan’s National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), municipal government of Xiamen, Fujian Province, and Tsinghua University in Beijing jointly established a “Cross-Strait Tsing Hua Research Institute." In 2016, the “Cross-Strait Tsing Hua Research Institute" set up its Hsinchu office on the campus of NTHU in Taiwan. The office is recently under question by the National Security Bureau on whether the former is infiltrated by Communist China. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has ordered a thorough investigation.
The MOE stated on November 9 that after the relevant teams went to the NTHU campus for investigation, it found that the office violated the Act Governing Cross-Strait Relations. In addition to requesting the immediate termination of the lease and its evacuation from the campus, NTHU will be fined up to NT$500,000 (about US$17,992) according to the law. The Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung also stated in the Legislative Yuan that they will take a comprehensive check on all other colleges and universities to see if there are similar violations.
The Economic Democracy Union and the Taiwan Students Federation held a press conference on November 10, questioning NTHU’s Chinese-funded donations, and the possibility of the theft of technology in the high-tech area.They contended NTHU also knew about the establishment and operation of the Hsinchu Office of the Cross-Strait Tsing Hua Research Institute. NTHU stated that the relevant allegations are all unreasonable framing and an attempt to place a “China” tag on them. They will be retaining the right of legal prosecution.
NTHU stated that the Cross-Strait Tsing Hua Research Institute was initiated by alumni and they sub-leased the campus space. Cross-strait open and frequent exchanges began around eight or nine years ago. International activities and development from alumni of all universities are all very common. With cross-strait tensions being high, these interactions have basically all come to a stop, exchanges between universities on both sides of the strait are now difficult to carry out. The school has also ordered the Cross-Strait Tsing Hua Research Institute to leave the university’s rented space.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, State Council, made its first statement on the case on November 10. Spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian indicated that the Cross-Strait Tsing Hua Research Institute had played an active role in cross-strait scientific and technological exchanges, but has since been stopped. It is just another case of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities attempt to block and restrict normal cross-strait exchanges and cooperation.
This case has garnered a negative reaction from the academic community. The Association of National Universities and Schools and the Association of Private Universities and Colleges issued a joint statement on November 12, indicating that politics is temporary and that academics are forever. Due to a change in political policies, university activities that were previously open and legal are becoming crimes. This will cause great harm to universities. They are calling on those with political power to think twice.
The Association of National Universities and Schools and the Association of Private Universities and Colleges stated that the existence of universities is for the society to explore the unknown and benefit the whole society in the long term. The Constitution grants universities greater protection of freedom compared to other sectors of the society. Therefore, the government's management on universities should be looser. If strict penal laws are used, universities’ every move will be watched and criticized. If universities can only execute the will of the administrative government, they will lose the original meaning for the university.
"Politics is temporary, academics are forever." The two associations stated that, in both ancient and modern times, academics are often inconsistent with the political environment at the time and that is the time to test whether the society is progressive enough and whether civilization is sustainable. In the past, the government oppressed universities due to political needs. But history has already proven that all those oppressions are wrong, and those with political power must think twice.