The government is planning to open government-funded Mandarin teaching centers in Japan, Australia and New Zealand next year before expanding the project to Latin America, a senior official in charge of the program said today.
Fielding questions on the Overseas Community Affairs Council's (OCAC) proposed budget for next year during a legislative session, OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) was asked about the council's plan for the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning (TCML) program.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Hsu said that 88 TCMLs are in operation around the world at present, with 68 in the US and 20 in 12 European countries.
The OCAC is planning to open TCMLs in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America from next year to 2029 to expand the program's global presence, she added.
The council is planning to open two TCMLs in Japan, one in New Zealand and four in Australia next year alone, Hsu said.
According to the OCAC, the TCML program was launched in June 2021 to create overseas bases for teaching Mandarin "with Taiwanese characteristics" — meaning using traditional Chinese characters instead of the simplified characters used in China — to people aged over 18.
To date, teaching materials have been prepared in English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Indonesia and Vietnamese.
Through Mandarin courses and cultural activities, the centers seek to foster cultural exchanges, popularize Mandarin learning, and deepen the relationship between Taiwan and people in the centers' host countries, the OCAC said.
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