A cross-strait exchange of Chinese students to Taiwan has been joined by Olympic gold medalists from China, including table tennis champ Ma Long. However, many of the Chinese participants have affiliations with the Chinese Communist Party, raising concerns among some Taiwanese lawmakers. Ma Ying-Jeou's foundation, which is leading the exchange, has dismissed the concerns.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Media and fans of China's table tennis star Ma Long crowd the champion as he arrives at
00:05Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport.
00:08He's the most famous member of the group of Chinese students and athletes arriving in
00:12Taiwan for a cross-strait exchange.
00:14This is a small card I wrote for him, because he probably won't be showing up on the
00:22field too often.
00:23He hopes we can still tell him, Ma Long, let's play another round.
00:26I'm also a substitute from the mainland.
00:29I think it's a good way for Ma Long to bring the students here, so that we can get to know
00:39each other better.
00:41The exchange was organized by the foundation of former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, who
00:46has made strong efforts to improve cross-strait relations.
00:49But many on this trip are affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, raising concerns
00:54among some Taiwanese lawmakers.
00:57One legislator pointed to other examples of espionage involving sports exchanges.
01:02Last time, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou made a leak because of the sports exchanges.
01:09So for them, all the exchanges are a part of the war.
01:13Those leading the exchange dismissed the concerns.
01:16There are nearly 100 million Chinese Communist Party members on the mainland.
01:20This is normal.
01:22When we visit the mainland, there are people from the Democratic Party, the Kuomintang,
01:26and the People's Party.
01:27Do we have to feel like we can't come to the mainland no matter what party we are?
01:30Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, which handles cross-strait relations, says despite the concerns,
01:36this exchange is by the book.
01:38Under the regulations, we are still optimistic about this exchange.
01:42At the moment, there may not be too many doubts about national security.
01:47Visits like these underscore the sensitivity of cross-strait exchanges in Taiwan, where
01:52many see a fine line between cultural diplomacy and national security.
01:57Yixin Chen and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.