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`Immigrant nation' a proud goal

"There was the economic miracle, the advent of convenience stores and cellphones, and now we have entered the age of becoming an immigrant nation."

Steve Wu, National Immigration Agency deputy director

The nation has entered a new phase in its development marked by immigration, National Immigration Agency (NIA) deputy director Steve Wu (吳學燕) said yesterday, while promising to welcome a new wave of immigrant spouses to foster cultural diversity.

Wu made the comments at a press conference hosted by the Public Television Service to unveil a new television series, funded by the NIA, called The Vietnamese Brides of Taiwan.

The storyline traces the lives of four fictional Vietnamese women as they adjust to their lives in Taiwan after marrying local men.

"There was the economic miracle, the advent of convenience stores and cellphones, and now we have entered the age of becoming an immigrant nation," Wu told reporters. "We welcome immigrants into our families; their presence makes Taiwan a more diversified place."

The show premieres amid an immigration surge in recent years, especially by "immigrant spouses" from Southeast Asia and China who total, as of last month, nearly 400,000, Wu said.

Of that surge, women from Vietnam -- who Wu said "are said to be the prettiest women in Asia" -- account for the lion's share of immigrant spouses, making the TV series especially relevant.

There is perhaps no clearer sign that immigration by foreign spouses is changing the cultural fabric of the nation than the emergence of a major TV series devoted exclusively to the issue, the TV station's CEO Hu Yuan-hui (胡元輝) said.

"They are a huge segment of society," Hu said, referring to immigrant spouses. "If we can't understand and help them, we won't be able to grow into a more pluralistic nation."

The show, he said, would help the public to understand the challenges and experiences of immigrants as they integrate with local culture.

"It [the show] reflects the love in Taiwan [for immigrants]," he said at the press conference.

The Vietnamese Brides of Taiwan, whose Chinese title translates literally as "never call me a foreign bride," will air every Saturday starting at 8:30pm.

Reflecting on the show's title yesterday, Wu told the conference the politically correct term for spouses who immigrate as newly-weds is "immigrant spouses."

"Not foreign brides," he said.
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