TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) pledged to continue promoting bilingual policies at a press conference on Tuesday (Sept. 12).

Lai, the 2024 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate, said that enhancing international communication and strengthening English skills are necessary, CNA reported. The current implementation plan is facing challenges and it needs to be addressed, he said.

The nation’s bilingual policy cannot be achieved by the central government alone, Lai said, stressing the need to collaborate with local governments. Taking educational rights into consideration and consulting with teachers is important, he said.

This method promotes bilingual success through a more inclusive manner, he said.

The DPP government launched the Bilingual 2030 policy in 2017 to boost the competitiveness of Taiwan’s youth. The policy is expected to “further strengthen English communication skills of the citizens, especially among young people, and to help bolster their global competitiveness,” according to a National Development Council statement.

The policy includes six goals: accelerating the development of bilingual higher education; balancing and optimizing bilingual conditions for schools at the senior high school level and below; developing digital learning; expanding the provision of affordable English proficiency tests; raising civil servants’ English proficiency; and establishing an administrative body dedicated to policy promotion and implementation.