Taiwan student delegation from Ma Ying-jeou's foundation kicks off 2025's first mainland exchange

A delegation of nearly 40 students, led by Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, began a four-day visit to Beijing from Monday to Friday, China News Service reported on Monday. This marks the foundation's first student exchange delegation to the Chinese mainland in 2025.

As Beijing is a "dual Olympic city," the visit will focus on winter sports activities, historical and cultural heritage, and cutting-edge technology, according to the report. 

Those students will visit Beijing's Winter Olympic venues, participate in various winter sports experiences, and attend the Longqing Gorge Ice Lantern Festival. They will also explore cultural landmarks such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven to experience traditional Chinese culture. 

Also, they will visit the cross-Straits science and technology innovation center and Xiaomi's automotive mega-factory to witness advanced technological developments, as well as Pop Mart's urban park to immerse themselves in trendy IP culture.

This visit reflects the prevailing sentiment in cross-Straits relations -- that people on the two sides of the Straits seek exchange, mutual understanding, and openness, Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Monday.

"This sentiment is widely shared across both Taiwan and the mainland, serving as a strong rebuttal to the current DPP-led Lai Ching-te administration's continuous efforts to hinder such exchanges," Zheng said.

On January 17, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism confirmed the reinstatement of group tours to Taiwan for residents of Fujian and Shanghai, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Following this, on January 24, tourism inspection delegations from Fujian and Shanghai requested site inspections from relevant authorities in Taiwan.

However, on February 4, Taiwan's so-called "mainland affairs council" stated that matters related to mainland tourists visiting Taiwan should first be discussed by the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and the mainland-based Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits, and that the inspection delegations from Shanghai and Fujian should also go through this mechanism for discussions.

In response to this issue, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, stressed on Friday that these claims were an excuse to hinder mainland tourists from visiting the island, noting that the two aforementioned organizations will be able to discuss arrangements for cross-Strait tourism after its resumption.

"This student delegation's visit to the mainland is an important initiative to strengthen mutual understanding and recognition between the youth on both sides. Young people are the future of the nation, and they represent the potential for the development of cross-Straits relations," Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies of Beijing Union University, told the Global Times on Monday. 

Regarding the stance of Taiwan's "mainland affairs council" on the resumption of cross-strait tourism, Hsiao was quoted as saying in a report by local media in Taiwan udn.com on Monday that the foundation has always been committed to fostering youth exchanges across the Straits, deepening mutual understanding, and bridging differences.