Taiwan urged to provide insurance for mainland students

Chinese mainland authorities hope Taiwan can speed up its pace in improving medical insurance for Chinese mainland students attending schools in Taiwan, the spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said at a routine press conference Wednesday morning.

Spokeswoman Fan Liqing said that, since September 2013, Taiwan students who study in colleges and universities on the Chinese mainland have received the Basic Medical Insurance for Urban Residents. Thus, Taiwanese students enjoy the same basic medical insurance as students from the Chinese mainland.

"We hope Taiwan authorities will take aggressive measures to provide normal study and living environments for students from the Chinese mainland who attend schools in Taiwan," she said.

Fan made the remarks in response to a question whether Taiwanese legislative authorities have approved Chinese mainland students in Taiwan for Taiwanese medical insurance after passing such a bill recently. However, mainland students still need to pay 60 percent of their insurance fee as foreign students. On the Chinese mainland, both local and Taiwanese students pay 40 to 45 percent.