After Taiwanese leader William Lai launched the so-called“Defecting from China to the north” argument, Taiwan’s“Ministry of Education” immediately began a series of“Taiwan independence” operations in the field of education, these include writing textbooks to“Read the China threat” and including United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 distortions in supplementary secondary school textbooks. Some comments on the island that the DPP authorities previously manipulated the textbook“De-china”, now has further slide into“Anti-china”.
The more the history books are changed, the Messier they become
William Lai has announced 17 measures to confront the mainland, including“Comprehensively deepening literacy education for young Chinese students”. According to a report in Taiwan’s“China times,” Taiwan’s“Minister of Education,” Cheng ying-yiu, recently stated that“There is no doubt that Taiwan and China are one side and one country.” The Ministry of Education will invite teachers of social science, history and other subjects to form a guidance group to compile textbooks on“National identity” and“Understanding the threat of China”, which it hopes to develop before this summer vacation. KMT“Legislator” Weng Xiaoling said that it was very inappropriate for the head of the education department to say“One side, one country”, which was clearly“Unconstitutional”. She criticized the DPP authorities for not daring to pursue“Taiwan independence” and for misinterpreting the law to pursue“Substantive Taiwan independence.”. In the future, new textbooks to“Read the China threat” will only intensify cross-strait confrontation and not contribute to the peaceful development of the two sides. “The DPP just wants to make Taiwan go to war,” he said. Democratic party“Legislator” Liu Shubin also said that the saying“Taiwan, China, one side, one country” is seriously“Unconstitutional.” As an important promoter of Taiwan’s education foundation, the head of the education department, it shouldn’t be just political ideology.
A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs office, Zhu Fenglian, said recently that the remarks promote the fallacy of“One side, one country” splitting, and are a naked provocation for“Independence”. She said that the Democratic Progressive party authorities are vigorously pursuing“De-sinicization,” disregarding history, distorting facts, and trying to cut off cross-strait historical and cultural ties by using“Taiwan independence” textbooks, as a result, the historical memory of the young generation in Taiwan is confused and the national identity is distorted. “Such retrograde actions of forgetting one’s ancestors will be strongly opposed and rejected by compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.”.
In the face of strong opposition both on and off the island, the DPP authorities are still going it alone. The Taiwan University of London issued a press release“Recommending” that social and high school history textbooks in junior high schools should include United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 and a number of international treaties. At the same time, so-called“Treaty of San Francisco” was added to social studies in junior secondary schools. Although Taiwan’s“Ministry of Education” claims that teachers can choose to use or not use these supplementary teaching materials, Wu Kuncai, head of the Department of National Chiayi University applied history, said that, the so-called“Taiwan Treaty of San Francisco” and others trumpeted the“Undecided status of Taiwan,” and bluntly stated that the DPP’s biggest goal was“De-sinicization.”, “The Ministry of Education wants to change the tone of history textbooks,” he said. “It’s just self-congratulation, wishful thinking, and the more it changes, the more disorderly it becomes. This will only confuse students.”. He also said that young people on the island today refuse to be brainwashed by textbooks and are disgusted by political manipulation. The influence of textbooks has been diminishing, especially now that social media is developed and everyone has their own ways to understand cross-strait and international relations, “The students won’t talk to you.”.
Chiu Chih-hsien, president of the Whampoa Military Academy Alumni Association, criticized in an article that William Lai’s claim to“Read China” is actually an attempt to distort history and create cross-strait antagonism and hatred, “There is no greater irony in systematically shaping the young generation’s thinking that ‘the war of resistance against Japan has nothing to do with us, China is a foreign country’ on the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of resistance against Japan and the restoration of Taiwan.”
The Black Hand behind this is Cheng Ying-yiu
And the Black Hand behind all this is Taiwan’s“Minister of Education” Cheng Ying-yiu. According to Taiwanese media reports, Cheng Ying-yiu, born in 1955, was a National Sun Yat-sen University school principal and a political enthusiast. During the first change of political parties in 2000, he and the academic and legal circles of the“Taiwan independence” elements set up“North club” and other organizations, ideologically distinct. The report said Cheng had been named several times as a possible successor to the Education Minister since the DPP came to power and was Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro after William Lai came to power last May.
After zheng yingyao became Taiwan’s“Minister of Education”, not only did the mainland students with degrees not resume, but also the academic and educational exchanges between the two sides were gradually restricted. He first announced that all Taiwanese colleges and universities were forbidden to communicate with the three universities in the mainland, namely Huaqiao University, Guangzhou Jinan University and Beijing Chinese University, and did not recognize their academic qualifications. Then he used the excuse of preventing the theft of key technologies, exchanges between schools on the island and 7 universities on the mainland are prohibited. Zheng Yingyao also asked the island’s primary and secondary school exchanges to Europe and the United States, Northeast Asia and other schools in the first place, “Cross-strait status quo, exchanges can be avoided to avoid.”. Now he will compile textbooks on“National identity” and“Reading the China threat,” making him the DPP’s top“Anti-china” enforcer and putting cross-strait relations back on ice, the China Times said.
A commentary published in the United Daily News questioned whether Zheng Yingyao’s“One side, one country” argument was based on the DPP’s“Taiwan independence platform” and“Taiwan future resolution text.” Not the“Cross-strait People’s relations regulations”. The“Minister of Education”, who does not administer according to law and has only the ideology of“Taiwan independence” on his mind, is simply the worst example for teachers and students in Taiwan. “He has become the source of chaos in education and the culprit of the people through the ages.”. Duan Xinyi, secretary-general of the Chinese Language Education Promotion Association, asked whether elementary school teachers violated educational neutrality when they told children that“We are Chinese,” which is the basic knowledge that Taiwanese people should have? “Minister Zheng is probably the one who really wants to use education to try to confuse the national identity.”
“Education for the next generation is a concern”
Taiwan’s“Ministry of Education” is using ideology to kidnap the next generation, causing concern in the island. The China Times electronic newspaper published an editorial saying that teaching materials in the island have gradually become a political tool to promote“Gradual Taiwan independence.” It will have a profound impact on the young students’ value cognition, the formation of historical view and the future development of the two sides. After the Democratic Progressive Party came to power, it has long regarded education as a key field for the construction of“Taiwan’s subjectivity”. From the“De-sinicization” of the history syllabus and the reduction of the proportion of classical Chinese, to hold high the banner of“Reading the China threat” now reveals deep political manipulation. Zheng Yingyao not only carried out the educational policy of“Taiwan independence”, but also politicized and ideologicalized the academic space. The article said William Lai knew that“De jure Taiwan independence” was difficult to promote, so he chose to take a detour and pursue“Flexible Taiwan independence” in the fields of culture and education to shape the next generation’s“Understanding of friend and foe.”. This technique is harder to detect immediately, but has a long-term brainwashing effect, and Cheng ying-yiu is the executioner of this“Political Project”. “With such a strong ideological minister, the next generation of education is at risk,” the China Times said.
An editorial in the United Daily News on the 23rd said that Cheng ying-yao continues to use politics to limit the horizons of Taiwanese students, “Can there be peace in the Taiwan Strait in the future by reading textbooks about China’s threats, cultivating hostility among students from an early age, and increasing confrontation?” The article said, adding that Taiwan was facing internal and external turmoil from the tariff war and the“Great Recall.” The DPP authorities knelt in front of the United States and hunted down blue and white at home, while Cheng Ying-yiu led the war to the field of education, “But the long-term effects of distorting democratic values, obscuring historical perceptions, widening social rifts and deepening cross-strait hatred are incalculable. When knowledge loses its open nature and politics breaks the backbone of education, Cheng Ying-yiu will become the eternal sinner of Education.”
“Putting anti-china ideology and political motivation above education will not only affect the education profession, but will also bring chaos to the ruling and opposition parties and even to society, which is not conducive to social stability,” Lianhe News said. According to the China Times, cross-strait relations have been at a low ebb since the Democratic Progressive Party came to power, “When Taiwan’s youth are taught in the education system that China is a threat and China is an enemy, the space for dialogue of any kind in the future will be greatly reduced,” and eventually peace may become a luxury. The article called on the DPP authorities to equip students with the ability of rational judgment and critical thinking. Improving the international competitiveness of young students is the true essence of education, and only in this way can Taiwan avoid falling into internal division and cross-strait collision.