Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning (Chinese: 臺灣華語文學習中心; pinyin: Táiwān huáyǔ wén xuéxí zhōngxīn) is a project initiated and funded by the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to establish learning centres in foreign countries to teach students Mandarin Chinese with "Taiwanese characteristics".[1] The project was announced in June 2021 with plans to establish 20 centres in various places in the United States and Europe.[2]

Background

Confucius Institutes (CIs) are a program promoted by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to spread Chinese language learning and culture overseas, including in the United States. They have been criticized as being political tools of the government of China to promote the official views of the PRC and suppress alternative views. The US government has labeled CIs as a foreign mission and cut government funding to universities that host them. In December 2020, the US government announced a partnership with Taiwan called the "U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative" in order to help Taiwan promote Mandarin learning in the United States and around the world.[3]

BBC News reported that the US government is giving preference to Mandarin learning facilitated by Taiwan rather than by the PRC as the former has "no strings attached".[2]

Centers

The program was launched in June 2021. As of 2023, a total of 66 centers have been established, with 54 in the United States and 12 in Europe (2 each in the U.K., France and Germany, and 1 each in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, and Sweden).[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.ocac.gov.tw/OCAC/file/attach/26496783/file_231786.pdf, Taiwan Center for Mandarin Learning Establishment Program, Overseas Community Affairs Council, Republic of China, retrieved August 14th 2021
  2. 1 2 "台湾语言学习中心进军美国, 挑战中国的孔子学院?". BBC News (in Chinese). 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  3. ↑ https://www.ait.org.tw/the-us-taiwan-education-initiative/, American Institute in Taiwan, The U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative: Increased Cooperation on Mandarin and English Language Education, retrieved August 14th 2021
  4. ↑ "About Learning Centres 學習中心介紹". Retrieved 2 March 2023.
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