Taiwan students visit mainland amid tensions

A group of 30 young people from Taiwan are visiting Shandong province on a cultural exchange trip amid increasing cross-Strait tensions triggered by the recent secessionist actions of Taiwan authorities.

"As tensions across the Taiwan Strait grow, exchanges are even more crucial," said Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, the Taiwan-based foundation that organized the trip.

The group will engage with university students in Shandong, participate in a Confucius memorial ceremony, and visit historical and cultural sites, according to Hsiao, who is leading the delegation.