Are they that afraid of their citizens seeing how a democratic system works? Apparently yes.
Beijing has reportedly asked Chinese students to leave Taiwan before the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for January 11, even though some students have said they would rather stay on the island to observe the voting process themselves…Taiwan’s Ministry of Education has said it is looking into the matter. The ministry added that there is no need for overseas students to worry about Taiwan’s elections, as they are usually conducted peacefully and serve as an example of how democracy is operated.
“Fellow Chinese people! We must not let our kids experience the horrors of the elections in Taiwan! Elections are a tool of oppression! Do you know who got into power via elections?? That’s right, kids: Hitler! And also OrangeMan! See?? Democracy = bad! CCP = good!!”
Someone in China probably thinks this makes sense.
I believe it has less to do with preventing those students from experiencing democracy, and more about preventing them from experiencing an event that contradicts the CCP’s One China narrative. For one there’s gonna be mention of Taiwan’s presidency, which China only refers to as Taiwan’s “leadership.”
During the last elections I remember several people on Chinese social media suddenly going like:“Wtf, why are they allowed to choose their leaders and we’re not?”. Followed by:“Omg this middle aged lady could consider military action against us! (us=China, from their point of view of course)”. My fucking sides.
If they’re in the country it’s clearly too late for that; they just need to turn on the TV or crack open a newspaper or magazine.
All the hooplah of voting and the giant 100,000 person inauguration party would be what China wants the students not to see. But again, just YouTube last time’s.
To bad. As much as I hate the CCP and mainlanders who follow them religiously, the only way to move forward without conflict is probably through a Democratic movement in China. I think the more people that see what Taiwan is really about, the more they will want it.
There’s a reason children of communist officials often live in the US or Canada. Once you taste freedom, hard to let it go.
The Chinese students who lived in my halls at university, had to give a deposit to the government which they got back after they returned, this was pre Xi.
Not just money but also property, probably depends on how much you can afford to loose.
10-20% is pretty high. You have to consider those 80-90% who return because of visas and residency issues. And only the rich can send their kids to the US, family money is back home and it takes no skills for some of these people to become a executive in some business there from family connections.
Chinese are by far the biggest foreign student body and their numbers have increased all the time I believe. It’s just more difficult to get visas these days to stay in the US.
A bit conspiracy theorist but I’d put the military forces on high alert during this election .
Been watching WWII in Color on Netflix and well…shit happens that people and even the experts don’t really expect to happen.
only their own freedom…many chinese emigrants in democratic countries still feel much more connected with the ccp than the country they live in. see what happened in australia when hk riots started.
same happens in germany every time their government announce something critical about turkey. thousands of “naturalized” citizens go apeshit on the streets to defend a tyrant…they say a democratic society has to withstand every kind of opinion. i’d say, go home and follow your leader…
