Plans are being laid out to establish on-campus Chinese-language learning centers in the US, following the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between 12 Taiwanese and US universities last month, the Ministry of Education said yesterday.
The 12 universities signed the memorandum on Sept. 28 at the University of Illinois’ Discovery Partners Institute as part of the Taiwan Huayu Best (台灣優華語計畫) program, the ministry said.
The program includes sending Taiwanese educators to teach Chinese at select US universities, while US students are offered the opportunity to study at Chinese-language learning centers in Taiwan.
The memorandum was signed by National Tsing Hua University, Tamkang University, Tunghai University, National Taiwan University, National Dong Hwa University and Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages from Taiwan, and the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, University of Michigan-Flint, North Park University, Indiana University Bloomington, Oakland University and Southern Illinois University from the US.
Due to COVID-19 regulations, university representatives from both countries attended the ceremony via video, with in-person attendance from Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago Director-General Johnson Chiang (姜森).
Speaking at the signing, Hsiao applauded the institutions involved for their efforts over the past few months to bring the Taiwan Huayu Best program to fruition.
She said she looked forward to Taiwan assisting the US in the promotion of Chinese-language education through future cooperation between the two countries.
The ministry said the project would seek to stimulate international cooperation between Taiwan and its global partners, as well as increase its international presence and influence.
It said it hoped the Taiwan Huayu Best project would benefit the government’s 2030 Bilingual Nation Policy by drawing English-speaking talent to Taiwan to teach after learning Chinese through the project.
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