TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning will add locations in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some countries in Asia in the second phase of a project to expand Taiwan’s language teaching presence internationally, according to the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC).
Speaking at the legislature’s National Defense Committee on Wednesday (Oct. 30), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) asked about the OCAC plans for the centers, per CNA.
Wang noted that the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning has 84 locations in the US and Europe, and asked about the OCAC’s plans for Australia, which he described as a “leading country in the South Pacific.” He also expressed concern that China’s Confucius Institutes would prevent Taiwan from setting up language learning centers.
OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said the center completed the first phase of an expansion project between 2021 and 2024. She said the second phase of the plan would involve the three Commonwealth countries and some countries in Asia but did not provide a timeframe.
Wang and other DPP legislators encouraged the Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning to establish locations in Australia in October last year.
