A delegation of 40 students and teachers from seven Chinese mainland universities arrived at Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport on Wednesday, embarking on their nine-day visit to the island.
Invited by the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, the delegation is led by Qiu Yong, chairman of Tsinghua University Council.
The delegation includes table tennis Olympic champion Ma Long studying at Beijing Sport University, and air rifle Olympic champion Yang Qian studying at Tsinghua University.
"I came from Taipei today, and I arrived at Taoyuan Airport at 09:30 because I was worried that there would be too many people here. I brought the photos that my friends sent me today, and I'm very happy. I also wrote a letter to Ma Long because I was worried that I would be too excited if I really saw him in person. We welcome students from the mainland to come to Taiwan for exchanges, and wish them to enjoy delicious food and drink and have fun here," said Lai Chin-hsuan, a Taiwan resident.
This is the second delegation of mainland teachers and students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, following the first delegation in July last year.
The delegation visited a high school on Wednesday afternoon as scheduled.
Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the foundation, said exchanges and contacts between young people of the mainland and Taiwan region are very important to the development of cross-Strait relations.
"When I arrived earlier, the fans had already lining up at the airport a few hours in advance, so I really think this is a very exciting phenomenon. It means that no matter how depressed the cross-Strait relationship is, sports and youth exchanges will always be common topics and language between the two sides. College students and high school students on both sides of the Taiwan Strait need to know each other very much. I think it is very meaningful to have so many top mainland students visit our most outstanding high school in Taiwan today," said Hsiao.
Besides the high school, the delegation is scheduled to visit some universities, the Taipei 101 tower and the Taipei Palace Museum from Nov 28 to 30. It will also visit the Sun Moon Lake, participate in a baseball activity and visit another historical museum from Dec 1 to 4.
Delegation of mainland university students, teachers embarks on Taiwan visit
The 2024 Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum, hosted by the China Media Group (CMG), was held in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Wednesday, gathering attendees from around the world to explore innovative cooperation models and discuss the role of new technologies in advancing the media industry.
The forum, themed "Land Meets Sea: Towards Innovation, Intelligence, and the Future," brought together experts, scholars, and representatives from 160 media organizations across 30 countries and regions.
The event saw the launch of a declaration focused on the joint development and sharing of a technology innovation ecosystem for the Belt and Road media community. The declaration calls on global media outlets to share opportunities, manage risks and promote ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI).
In his opening remarks, Shen Haixiong, president of the CMG, highlighted the group's commitment to enhancing global media cooperation, improving connectivity, and fostering platforms for international dialogue.
After eight years of development, the Belt and Road Media Community, initiated by the CMG, has expanded to include 148 members and partners from 64 countries and regions.
International media participants noted that the initiatives put forward by the community are helping play a crucial role in expanding mutually beneficial cooperation among media outlets worldwide.
"The initiative by the Belt and Road Media Community has been one of the cornerstones in bringing media together, in working together and developing productions and co-productions, which we have been involved with. Every year there are technologies changing, and I think our focus will be to help and guide our members in the use of these technologies, especially AI these days. Because the ethical issues around AI has become a very, very important area for us to focus," said Ahmed Nadeem, secretary general of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.
During the opening ceremony, several international cooperation projects were signed, while scholars and experts in the media sector were also invited to share their insights on the theme of media transformation through generative AI.
Since its establishment in 2016, the Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum has evolved into a vital platform for communication and collaboration and has also served as a significant initiative to promote cultural exchange and mutual learning among diverse civilizations.
Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum held in Chongqing
Belt and Road Media Community Summit Forum held in Chongqing
