Overseas Chinese Affairs Council

Overseas Community Affairs Council
僑務委員會
Qiáo Wù Wěiyuánhuì (Taiwanese Mandarin)
Kiâu-bū Úi-oân-hōe (Taiwanese Hokkien)
Khièu-vu Vî-yèn-fi (Taiwanese Hakka)
Agency overview
FormedOctober 1926 (in Guangzhou, Guangdong)
JurisdictionRepublic of China (Taiwan)
HeadquartersZhongzheng, Taipei, Taiwan
Minister responsible
  • Hsu, Chia-Ching, Minister
  • Deputy Minister
  • Roy Leu, Vice Minister
Parent agencyExecutive Yuan
Websitewww.ocac.gov.tw

The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC; Chinese: 僑務委員會; pinyin: Qiáo Wù Wěiyuánhuì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kiâu-bū Úi-oân-hōe; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Khièu-vu Vî-yèn-fi) is a cabinet-level council of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The council was founded in 1926 in Canton (Guangzhou) in Kwangtung (Guangdong) Province.

Its main objective is to serve as a cultural, education, economic and informational exchanges organization between Taiwan and the overseas Taiwanese and Chinese descent communities. Its remit is not limited to expatriates from Taiwan, but includes all ethnic Taiwanese and Chinese living in a foreign country who "identify with the Republic of China (ROC)".[1]

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

Organizational structures

  • Department of Policy Research and Development
  • Department of Overseas Chinese Network Services
  • Department of Overseas Chinese Education
  • Department of Overseas Chinese Business
  • Department of Overseas Chinese Student Counseling
  • Secretariat Office
  • Personnel Office
  • Civil Service Ethics Office
  • Accounting and Statistics Office
  • Information Management Office
  • Overseas Chinese News Agency
  • Legal Affairs Committee

Title changes

Name Time in use
Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission October 1926 – April 2006
Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission April 2006 – 1 September 2012
Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission 1 September 2012 – 12 November 2012
Overseas Community Affairs Council Since 12 November 2012[2]

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 independence-leaning President Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. 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.[1]

Ministers

Political Party:   Kuomintang   Democratic Progressive Party   Non-partisan/ unknown

No. Name Term of Office Days Political Party Cabinet
1 Chen Shuren (陳樹人) 27 April 1932 1 May 1947 5482 Kuomintang Wang Jingwei
Chiang Kai-shek II
H. H. Kung
Chiang Kai-shek III
T. V. Soong
Chang Ch'ün
2 Liu Weichi [zh] (劉維熾) 1 May 1947 28 December 1948 607 Kuomintang Chang Ch'ün
Weng Wenhao
Sun Fo
3 Dai Kuisheng (戴愧生) 28 December 1948 19 May 1950 507 Kuomintang Sun Fo
He Yingqin
Yan Xishan
Chen Cheng I
4 George Yeh (葉公超) 19 May 1950 16 April 1952 698 Kuomintang Chen Cheng I
5 Zheng Yanfen (鄭彥棻) 16 April 1952 16 July 1958 2282 Kuomintang Chen Cheng I
Yu Hung-chun
6 Chen Qingwen [zh] (陳清文) 16 July 1958 24 June 1960 709 Kuomintang Chen Cheng II
7 Chou Shu-kai [zh] (周書楷) 24 June 1960 3 December 1962 892 Kuomintang Chen Cheng II
8 Kao Hsin (高信) 3 December 1962 1 June 1972 3468 Kuomintang Chen Cheng II
Yen Chia-kan
9 Mao Sung-nian (毛松年) 1 June 1972 1 June 1984 4383 Kuomintang Chiang Ching-kuo
Sun Yun-suan
10 Tseng Kuang-hsun (曾廣順) 1 June 1984 27 February 1993 3193 Kuomintang Yu Kuo-hua
Lee Huan
Hau Pei-tsun
11 John Chang (章孝嚴) 27 February 1993 10 June 1996 1199 Kuomintang Lien Chan
12 James C. Y. Chu (祝基瀅) 10 June 1996 5 February 1998 605 Kuomintang Lien Chan
Vincent Siew
13 Chiao Jen-ho [zh] (焦仁和) 5 February 1998 20 May 2000 835 Kuomintang Vincent Siew
14 Chang Fu-mei (張富美) 20 May 2000 19 May 2008 2921[3] Democratic Progressive Party Tang Fei
Chang Chun-hsiung I
Yu Shyi-kun
Frank Hsieh
Su Tseng-chang I
Chang Chun-hsiung II
15 Wu Ying-yih (吳英毅) 20 May 2008 1 August 2013 1899 Kuomintang Liu Chao-shiuan
Wu Den-yih
Chen Chun
Jiang Yi-huah
16 Chen Shyh-kwei (陳士魁) 1 August 2013 19 May 2016 1022 Kuomintang Jiang Yi-huah
Mao Chi-kuo
Chang San-cheng
17 Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興) 20 May 2016 20 May 2020 1460 Lin Chuan
William Lai
Su Tseng-chang II
18 Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) 20 May 2020 Incumbent 1364 Democratic Progressive Party Su Tseng-chang II
19 Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) 31 January 2023 Designate 378 Democratic Progressive Party Chen Chien-jen

Transportation

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

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Shih Hsiu-chuan (2012-11-13). "DPP slams OCAC's use of simplified characters". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  2. ^ "News Ticker". Taiwan Today. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). 13 November 2012.
  3. ^ Longest serving female cabinet member.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Overseas Community Affairs Council, Republic of China.