A Study on the Educational Exchanges between China and Taiwan: From Cross-strait Perspectives

Chuing P. Chou & Ching-yao Yang

In recent years, issue such as "globalization" and "localization" in higher education has attracted great attention. However, with the economic rise of China and the reducing tension cross Taiwan Strait, the application of globalization and localization in the interpretation of the competing higher education relationship for both sides of Taiwan Strait can no longer hold true. It is especially the case when China and Taiwan both currently are encountering with the challenging issue of brain drain and mobility of talents in the era of the transnational movement of higher education. As a result, it is of great importance to re-examine cultural and educational exchanges between the two sides with the possible development of a new theory entitled “cross-straitization.” The paper attempts to explore the cross-strait exchanges in higher education over the past 20 years, with an emphasis on the constant higher educational interaction and cooperation over the last decade. It is hoped that the findings will serve as the basis in constructing a new paradigm entitled “cross-straitization” with the hope of shedding light on literature as well as serving as theoretical reference model from cross-strait in alleviating conflicts between two parties, namely North and South Korea, and so forth.

Keywords: international exchanges, globalization, localization, cross-straitization, conflict regions