Brain drain a Chinese ploy, academics say

By Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer





A brain drain caused by an increasing number of Taiwanese moving to China is a Chinese ploy to undermine the Taiwanese economy and political will, political observers said.

Following the conclusion of the Chinese Communist Party’s 19th National Congress last month, Beijing is likely to intensify its efforts to lure young Taiwanese to China, they said.

China’s relaxation of rules on employing Taiwanese is not motivated by a desire to increase its competitiveness, Tamkang University China studies professor Andy Chang (張五岳) said.

“If that were the case, the deregulation would have applied to all WTO member states, not just Taiwan. There is obviously a political motive, which is to boost Taiwanese support for the ‘one China’ [principle],” Chang said.

While the Chinese government initially focused on Taiwanese entrepreneurs and tech professionals to help build up its economy, it has broadened its targets to cover other sectors and social groups.

China this month expanded the areas in which Taiwanese lawyers can practice law in China from 20 to 237. It is also considering easing licensing regulations for Taiwanese accountants, architects and doctors soon, sources said.

China’s Fujian Provincial Government last month announced plans to recruit 1,000 Taiwanese teachers by 2020.

Last month, the Chinese Ministry of Education eased application requirements for Taiwanese high-school graduates to study at Chinese universities, with the added promise of issuing documents that would allow them to work in China after graduation.

According to Chinese media reports, 53 cross-strait youth start-up campuses that have been set up in 12 Chinese cities have attracted 1,200 Taiwan-based enterprises and 6,000 young Taiwanese.

National Cheng Kung University law professor Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) blamed the brain drain on investments by more than 100,000 Taiwanese businesspeople in China, which he said has had an immense impact on the Taiwanese economy.

“The people that China is trying to attract have been nurtured by the [Taiwanese] government’s investment and the government should try to counter [Beijing’s moves]. Otherwise, the brain drain and a weakened political will have an impact on national security,” he said.

The government is observing China’s policy, but it does not seem to have broken Taiwan’s laws, national dignity or national interest so far, an unnamed government official said.

“However, the government is taking the issue seriously and it is strengthening the education, recruitment and retention of professionals, while stimulating the economy to create a better jobs market,” the official said.

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) cited problems in the nation’s economic structure.

The government has to take action to increase the international competitiveness of young Taiwanese and create jobs to stem the brain drain, she said.

“As China attracts white collar workers, we need to keep in mind why white collar workers are attracted to China. This is a tectonic shift that is not easy to resist. Taiwan should examine itself and make improvements. Bashing China will not help things,” she said.

Additional reporting by Tseng Wei-chen