Mainland Chinese students arrive in Taiwan for visit aimed at easing tensions

A group of mainland Chinese students arrived in Taiwan on Saturday for a nine-day visit, becoming the first major academic delegation from the mainland to travel to the island in three years.

The group of 37 students and faculty members from five prominent mainland universities was invited by former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou to promote understanding between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.

“This is the first visit by a major university student delegation from the mainland since cross-strait exchanges were suspended and [relations worsened] to the point of the brink of war under the rule of the government of [Taiwanese President] Tsai Ing-wen,” Hsiao Hsu-tsen, director of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, said on Saturday.

Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has vowed to bring it under its control, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States – Taiwan’s biggest informal ally – do not recognise the island as an independent state, but oppose any unilateral change in the cross-strait status quo by force.