More than 30 million people in at least 100 countries are learning Chinese as a foreign language, with more than 2,500 universities teaching Chinese-language courses. In recent years, Western democracies have experienced a surge in incidents of infiltration by Chinese intelligence agencies, and this has led more college students from many countries to give up on China and choose to come and study Chinese in Taiwan.
There are now more than 3,000 foreign students studying Chinese in Taiwan. Promoting Taiwan as a global center for Chinese-language teaching is a growing trend, and it is also one of the important strategic levers by which Taiwan can develop its national soft power, enhance its global status and exert its international influence.
The US Congress attaches great importance to Chinese teaching programs jointly organized by the US government and higher-education institutions, in which “go to China” is being replaced by “go to Taiwan.” The aim of such programs is to promote strategic language education through cooperation between the government and universities, so that US college students can achieve bilingual and bicultural abilities whereby they would be able to use their fluent Chinese to do China-related work in US government departments and at all levels of society.
Taiwan should use its promotion of Chinese-language teaching around the world to highlight its institutional advantages of democracy and freedom, and attract more students to Taiwan through the “soft power” of language and culture, thereby countering China’s “sharp power.”
This is especially true in view of China’s infiltration, propaganda and theft of intellectual property.
China is also providing financial inducements and encouraging self-censorship to interfere in many countries’ academic freedom and engage in ideological manipulation, all of which has caused widespread revulsion in other countries.
Taiwan ought to be the best choice for foreign students to learn Chinese, but the experiences of students who come to Taiwan show that the accommodation provided by universities in Taiwan still leaves room for improvement. For example, there is a serious shortage of places in dormitories. Even if students are lucky enough to be placed in a dormitory, they have to put up with many inconveniences in their living facilities, such as old and broken-down water and electricity supplies, leaks and shabby rooms. Such deficiencies are not the way Taiwan should treat its guests, so let us hope that the relevant government departments set about finding some solutions.
The government should tap the potential of private resources to help solve this urgent problem. The authorities could address the dormitory shortage by promoting private homestays.
Non-governmental organizations could act as go-betweens for willing households in Taipei and New Taipei City to help by hosting student lodgers, which would give the students a chance to blend in to Taiwanese family life. Everyone involved would benefit from learning about each other’s language and culture.
The authorities could also think about how real-estate agencies could match students in need of rented accommodation so that foreign and Taiwanese students could rent apartments together. That would be a quick fix for the shortage of dormitories at many universities.
Yu Tsung-chi is secretary-general of the Taiwan Good Association.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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