Needed, a fast train to kill ignorance

As a video of former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's trip to the mainland went viral on social networking sites, Wang Yichuan, a transport "expert" on the island, said on a local TV news program that Ma was fooled by being taken around on a high-speed train in which seats had back rests, and that trains on the mainland do not have them.

There is evidence to suggest Wang has had "rich experiences "of the mainland's transport facilities, but the experience is nowhere to be seen. It instead seems that he knows nothing about the mainland or its high-speed trains.

Which in turn also indicates some Taiwan residents' deep ignorance about the mainland, thanks to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's policy of cutting ties and communication lines with the motherland. Some Taiwan residents know so little about the mainland that an "expert" such as Wang finds in it a means to gain popularity. Communication would help clear ignorance and misunderstanding, but in the case of cross-Strait ties, communication has taken a back seat when there is a dire need of it.

Ever since the DPP came to power on the island in May 2016 it has implemented very antagonistic policies against the mainland. The seven years have been enough to plug information and curb Taiwan people's knowledge about the mainland.

In response to a question about the incident, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council welcomed more Taiwan residents to take high-speed trains on the mainland.

With plans afoot to build a high-speed railway linking Beijing with Taipei, it won't be long before people on both sides can even take a high-speed train to visit each other. That will leave no room for any misunderstanding to creep in.