The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in San Francisco and the Overseas Chinese Education Center in the San Francisco Bay Area held a ceremony on the evening of March 20th at the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center. The event included the presentation of appointment letters for newly appointed and reappointed honorary positions in overseas Chinese affairs in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as a forum for overseas Chinese affairs exchange.
The Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in San Francisco, Wu Zhixiang, and the Director of the South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center, Zhuang Yashu, gathered with representatives from the overseas Chinese community to strengthen unity through policy explanations, exchange of ideas, and recognition ceremonies.
Wu Zhixiang delivered an opening speech at the event. He reflected on his six months in office, focusing on enhancing exchanges between Taiwan and Northern California in various fields such as politics, economy, and culture. He emphasized the office’s recent policy directions, including increasing visibility in downtown San Francisco, enhancing youth connections and educational exchanges, and ongoing improvements in consular services. The future direction will be towards efficiency, professionalism, and digitization, continuing to play a role as a support and bridge for overseas Chinese. He also commended the overseas Chinese community for their longstanding support for government policies, hoping to deepen Taiwan’s connections with the international community together.
Zhuang Yashu reviewed the achievements of overseas Chinese affairs in the 114th year (2025), covering aspects such as cultural promotion, youth empowerment, and community services, with a particular highlight on the remarkable performance in teaching Chinese language classes in mainstream communities. She mentioned successful collaborations with libraries, local governments, and high-tech companies in Northern California that have elevated Chinese language education to new heights, including the Mandarin technology program in partnership with Google, which has already completed five terms, with Google now eager to continue the collaboration.
She outlined the priorities for the 115th year, focusing on the theme of “Taiwan Silicon Valley Technology” and promoting the “Taiwan Corner Project,” optimizing the Overseas Chinese Education Center’s facilities to showcase Taiwanese culture and technology. Additionally, initiatives such as the “Society-Wide Resilience Defense Exercise” and collaboration with TCML and Taiwanese chefs to organize activities promoting Taiwanese cuisine and Mandarin language learning aim to continue fostering sustainable development in the overseas Chinese community.
During the overseas Chinese affairs exchange forum, participants actively shared opinions on community development, cultural heritage, youth engagement, and other relevant topics, fostering vibrant interactions. Through face-to-face communication, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and the Overseas Chinese Education Center promptly grasped the needs of the overseas Chinese community, serving as a reference for future overseas Chinese affairs work.
The evening also featured various commendations and appointment letters. A total of 59 individuals received appointments for new and continued honorary positions in overseas Chinese affairs for the 115th year, including 14 advisory committee members, 18 consultants, and 27 committee members, with terms from January 1, 115th year to December 31, 117th year. Additionally, awards such as scholarships for overseas students, the 2025 Outstanding Evaluation of the Taiwan Mandarin Learning Center, acknowledgments for overseas Chinese affairs electronic newsletter volunteers, appointment letters for Hakka advisory committee members, the 2025 Global Young Business Potential Star Award, and commendations for individuals and groups promoting Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly and the United Nations, were presented, recognizing the overseas Chinese community’s active contributions to international advocacy and public affairs.
The South Bay Overseas Chinese Education Center stated that the event combining policy briefings, overseas Chinese affairs exchange, and recognition not only strengthened communication between the government and the overseas Chinese community, demonstrating the government’s value for the diverse participation of the overseas Chinese community in public affairs, but also highlighted the power of unity and cooperation among overseas Chinese in the Bay Area.