Taiwan opens doors

Taiwanese legislators have agreed, after a series of brawls, to open university enrolment to Chinese students, bringing the two political rivals another step closer but at a possible risk to the island's economy.

The Education Ministry said the admission of up to 2000 top students a year from China should help build people-to-people relations after decades of limited contact, but other politicians warned it could raise the admissions bar locally and send Taiwanese students to schools abroad, hurting competitiveness.

The bill finally received approval after legislators scuffled, following larger brawls over the same issue earlier in the year.