TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) held a two-day workshop for visitors from China on Thursday and Friday (Nov. 10-11) at I-Shou University in Kaohsiung.

The workshop was hosted by the SEF in cooperation with over 50 universities. It welcomed 60 young professionals from China to discuss matters related to public policy and cross-strait exchange. Representatives from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and the Mainland Affairs Council were present to observe the workshop, according to a press release.

This year’s conference marks the 10th year that the SEF has welcomed young Chinese academics and professionals in Taiwan to the workshop.

In 2020, at the start of the pandemic, the Chinese government stopped allowing Chinese students to enroll in Taiwanese universities. As most Chinese undergraduate students have already completed their studies, Chinese students who remain in Taiwan are primarily in post-graduate research programs. UDN reported that the number of students from China currently enrolled in Taiwanese universities is at an all-time low.

The vice chairman of the SEF Jan Hung-Tze (詹志宏) said that over the past ten years, events like the workshop have created a good foundation for exchanges between Taiwan and China. Jan also expressed his hope that in the future, cross-strait relations will normalize and Chinese students will be able to study at Taiwan universities without difficulty.

Jan noted that most Chinese students that study in the country have a favorable view of Taiwan. Students are also an important group for exchanges since they can help develop positive relations between China and Taiwan, Jan said.

According to the press release, Jan expressed his hope that exchanges such as this week's workshop will increase in the future. He promised that the SEF would continue to organize similar activities and work to strengthen mechanisms for cross-strait communication and cooperation.

UDN reported that Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has encouraged Chinese authorities since July to allow Chinese students to resume studying at Taiwanese universities. However, there are currently no indications that China seeks to normalize educational exchanges with Taiwan.