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Get Taiwan on FAFSA list

Nat Bellocchi asks in "The US needs real experts on Taiwan" (Aug. 25, page 8) where the US will find tomorrow's Taiwan experts? Well, let's look at Mandarin education.

Chang Fu-mei (張富美), minister of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, says "More than 30 million people learn Chinese around the world. The number is estimated to rise to 100 million in 2007." She asks, "How should Taiwan respond to the surging global Chinese-language fever?" She mentions that over 2,000 high schools in the US now offer advance placement in Mandarin.

Will those students come to Taiwan? Many will not. Americans interested in Mandarin these days choose the University of Hong Kong. The University of Hong Kong has a FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid) code. Its name is on a list (www.fafsa.ed.gov) that allows students to receive grants and loans when attending a particular college.

Is the issue only about dollars from students? No. From the group of students studying Chinese today will come the staffers of tomorrow.

And from the staffers of tomorrow will come the leaders.

So, when congressmembers or chief executive officers need a bright young talent who can speak Chinese to brief them on research and opinions concerning Asia, whom do you think they will hire?

They will hire someone who has studied Chinese -- but not in Taiwan.

That staffer probably will have studied in Hong Kong and will have been influenced by a Communist-controlled environment.

So why do Americans go to a Cantonese environment to learn Mandarin? Why are there no Taiwanese universities with FAFSA codes? Why are there no Taiwanese universities on the list? Because they never applied.

Gao Wei-li
Taipei?

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