TAIWAN: Lawmakers clash over students from China

A legislative committee meeting descended into a fight last week as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers clashed over two proposed bills that would recognise Chinese diplomas and allow Chinese students to study in Taiwan, Flora Wang and Vincent Y Chao report for the Taipei Times.

DPP legislators occupied the podium two hours before the meeting was scheduled to begin - and took control of the microphones in a bid to paralyse the meeting of the education and culture committee. When Minister of Education Wu Ching-chi arrived, the lawmakers surrounded him, accusing him of trying to sell out Taiwan by opening it to Chinese students.

Physical clashes erupted as DPP lawmakers tried to prevent committee head and KMT caucus member Chao Li-yun from getting to the convener's podium to announce the meeting's agenda. Chao fainted shortly after announcing that the two bills would be put to cross-party negotiations - a necessary procedure before a bill is put to a second reading - and was taken to National Taiwan University Hospital.
Full story on the Taipei Times website