New Economy Forum
China Lures Taiwanese With Free Schooling, But There's a Catch
- Pressure builds on Tsai Ing-wen before first election test
- China deploys incentives, threats to sway island’s residents
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For Taiwan’s government, China’s decision to offer new identity cards to islanders now living on the mainland is the latest salvo in a menacing pressure campaign. For Taiwan native Allen Cheng, it’s a shot at enrolling his son in a public school.
The 36-year-old equities analyst said the card, which entitles the roughly 400,000 Taiwanese living on the mainland greater access to public services, will make living in the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen easier for him, his wife and two small children. Otherwise, he would face prohibitively expensive private school fees.