Fierce competition
This June, the Chinese Youth Development Union, an organization dedicated to pushing forward cross-Straits cooperation and assisting young people to find work and set up businesses was established in Taipei.
Right after its founding, it cooperated with the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang on a program of summer internships at Beijing companies. They selected 13 outstanding Taiwan students to work in Beijing for one month, to help them accumulate work experience and build professional networks.
The internships covered several industries including Internet technology, banking, wedding planning and training institutions.
Lo Wen-chun, a student majoring in international and Chinese mainland affairs at National Quemoy University, got an internship as an external communication worker at a wedding company.
Lo expressed her regrets to the Global Times that she couldn't choose an internship that fits her major because she was "too late" to the program.
"All the good jobs had been swept away by others. So I had no choice," she told the Global Times via WeChat from Taiwan.
Lo recalled that in that month, she had to walk across Beijing's big streets and small alleys under the roasting sun and very often she had no time to even drink. The work was drudgery but she didn't dare to neglect her duties.
"The competition in Beijing is too fierce with so many talents accumulating here. The city has a larger population than Taiwan. I have no choice but to push my limits," she stressed.
Lo plans to return to Beijing after graduation to find a job. "I'm not expecting a good first job. I just want one (to stay in Beijing)," she said.
Currently Taiwan people who work on the mainland can have healthcare, employment, buy property, open bank accounts and receive financing, with their Taiwan compatriot permit.
Unification is the only way
During their interviews, those Taiwan youth were either intentionally or unintentionally evading political questions.
Due to their education, their values are quite different from the older Taiwan generations and they're unwilling to express a political stance.
A Taiwan man, who didn't want to give his name, told the Global Times that the mainland doesn't understand why Taiwan doesn't want unification. But some Taiwanese also don't understand why the mainland wants unification.
He pointed out that many young people in Taiwan find the idea that "Taiwan is merely a province of China" to be unacceptable.
He said that he thinks the phenomenon of young Taiwan people working on the mainland is beneficial. No matter what is driving them to the mainland, they can have the chance to learn about the mainland and will see cross-Straits questions more objectively if they have worked and lived on the mainland.
Chen told the Global Times that the major reason that young Taiwan residents reject unification is they are afraid of losing the island's political system. But if unification can bring economic revival to Taiwan, she believes losing some democracy is acceptable.
An experienced worker in the media industry in Taiwan told the Global Times that she is envious of the One Belt and One Road conception and the fact that from top to bottom, mainland society can be united into one force.
"In Taiwan, no matter what is proposed, there are people jumping out and fighting relentlessly. Eventually, nothing is done," she said.
Liu Chi-tsung, 17, is a high school senior. He plans to study business on the mainland. "Taiwan's population is small and lacks competence. Staying here I will just swim with the tide. Should I wait to be washed away into the Taiwan Strait?" he questioned.
Many government programs in Taiwan have stagnated due to a lack of funding. "Seeing my hometown turn into a 'ghost city' makes me feel sad. So I hope through studying and working on the mainland, I can make a breakthrough, bringing in mainland capital to boost Taiwan's economy," he said.
Wang Jianmin said that Taiwan people working on the mainland are good for improving cross-Straits relations and helping Taiwan reflect on its own problems.
In the past Taiwan's young people resisted coming to the mainland and they had a shallow and one-sided understanding of the mainland. When they come to work on the mainland they can experience the support that the mainland gives to Taiwan and then realize the importance of peaceful development.
Now Taiwan people haven't fully realized the harmfulness of "Taiwan independence." "When they're awake, they will find out that unification is the only outlet for Taiwan and it's the pursuit of the Taiwan people," Wang said.
