On Jan. 8, the Chinese government announced regulations that would allow people from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau to apply for elementary and high-school teaching qualifications after passing Chinese tests. One of the conditions is that the candidate support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and follow its guiding principles for education.
In response to the changes, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) on Jan. 11 emphasized that Taiwanese have freedom of movement and the council would not investigate or stop Taiwanese from taking advantage of the rules.