Overseas Community Affairs Council

Overseas Community Affairs Council
僑務委員會
Qiáo Wù Wěiyuánhuì
Agency overview
Formed October 1926 (in Guangzhou)
Jurisdiction  Republic of China
Headquarters Zhongzheng, Taipei
Ministers responsible
Parent agency Executive Yuan
Website www.ocac.gov.tw

The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC; Chinese: 僑務委員會; pinyin: Qiáo Wù Wěiyuánhuì) is a cabinet-level council of the Executive Yuan of Republic of China. Its main objective is to serve as a cultural, education, economic and informational exchanges organization between Taiwan and the overseas communities. Its remit is not limited to expatriates from Taiwan, but includes all ethnic Chinese living in a foreign country who "identify with the Republic of China (ROC)".[2]

With the evolution of the political landscape and the Taiwanese localization movement, the organization now puts emphasis not only in Mandarin Chinese, but also on Taiwanese, Hakka, and other Taiwanese cultural expressions. It offers information about aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, and its overseas offices may serve, in addition to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices.

Organizational structures

Title changes

NameTime in use
Overseas Chinese Affairs CommissionOctober 1926 – April 2006
Overseas Compatriot Affairs CommissionApril 2006 – September 2012
Overseas Chinese Affairs CommissionSeptember 2012 – 12 November 2012
Overseas Community Affairs CouncilSince 12 November 2012[3]

The English title of the council was changed from "Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission" to "Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission" in 2006, officially to "avoid being confused as a governmental body of the People's Republic of China", under the desinicization policies of President Chen Shui-bian. However, its English acronym OCAC and Chinese name remained the same, to reduce the expense for its official title change. After the Kuomintang renewed its mandate in the 2012 election, the official English name was changed back to the original.

However, in November 2012 there was a controversy when it was discovered that the OCAC used simplified Chinese characters in some of its teaching materials. Amid threats in November 2012 from Democratic Progressive Party legislators to freeze the OCAC's budget, its director relented to demands to rename the OCAC to the ROC (Taiwan) Overseas Community Affairs Council.[2]

Ministers

Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission

Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission

Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission

Overseas Community Affairs Council

Transportation

The council is accessible within walking distance North East from NTU Hospital Station of the Taipei Metro.

See also

References

External links

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