On June 23 (Sunday) at 2 p.m., the “Overseas Preliminary Symposium of the 113th OCA Committee Meeting in the US South” was held in Room 203 of the Overseas Chinese Education Center. Officials including Director of the Ministry of Education Siao Yifang, Director of the Overseas Chinese Education Center Wang Yingrong, Deputy Director Huang Yili, Head of the Education Department Yang Shuya, Head of the Economic Department Ni Bojia, Head of the Technology Department Chen Pinquan, Legal Secretary Wang Qian, and OCA Committee Members Liu Xiumei, Chen Jianbin, Chen Yiling, Cai Jingcan, as well as honorary OCA personnel, overseas Chinese leaders, and representatives of overseas Chinese youth attended the meeting in person and online.
Hosted by Siao Yifang, it was stated that Taiwan, the Republic of China, is the only country that has set up a dedicated department within the central government to care for overseas Chinese since its founding. Overseas Chinese have played a crucial role, and the government holds regular meetings to interact with overseas Chinese to make timely changes and improvements to educational and overseas Chinese policies. The purpose of the meeting was to gather feedback from the overseas Chinese community in the US South before the 113th OCA Committee Meeting in Taipei in September. It was emphasized that with the changing times and international situation, there have been continuous military and economic threats from the Chinese Communist Party towards Taiwan, coupled with various forms of disinformation campaigns. The hope is that overseas Chinese leaders who care about Taiwan and wish for a better and more democratic future for the country can express their opinions and suggestions.
Wang Yingrong introduced the 180 OCA committee members worldwide, who work voluntarily with no pay. This year’s meeting focused on the theme of “Overseas Cooperation to Counter Unification Tactics, Unite Overseas Chinese Community to Protect Taiwan,” covering three main areas: Overseas Chinese connections, educational policies for overseas Chinese, and business services for overseas Chinese. There were nine policy issues discussed, including non-OCA related “Safeguarding the Country” topics such as international participation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; talent recruitment by the National Development Council and the Ministry of Labor; and recommendations related to innovation and prosperity by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The meeting also reported on the effectiveness of operations in the US South region and encouraged applications for the i-OCA card.
Firstly, Professor Guo Zhengguang from the Education Association suggested organizing social events for young singles and second-generation overseas Chinese. Chen Jianbin pointed out that they had organized such events at the Overseas Chinese Education Center twice in the past three years. However, modern young people have their own networking methods, so the events provide them with opportunities to meet. OCA consultant Hong Liangbing stated that there will be a global youth forum for overseas Chinese youth under 45 on November 4. Wang Yingrong emphasized that the OCA Committee leans towards connecting with the younger generation through specialized and thematic discussion sessions, suggesting the establishment of a youth chamber under the business association to encourage second and third-generation young people to join the overseas Chinese community. OCA Advisory Committee member Gan Youping suggested the creation of a program called “Old Trunk and New Branches” to encourage retired overseas Chinese to participate in community work and share their valuable experience and wisdom. OCA Advisory Committee member Song Mingli also provided recommendations regarding care for elderly overseas Chinese.
Overseas Chinese leaders spoke one after another, engaging in passionate discussions on policy issues including overseas Chinese connections, educational policies, and business services. Topics included promoting Chinese language and Taiwanese language education, integrating major overseas Chinese business associations, resource integration for mutual creation, sharing, and prosperity. Regarding discussions on disinformation, Legal Secretary Wang Qian pointed out that the government established a cognitive warfare prevention unit earlier this year to comprehensively study potential tactics of the Chinese Communist Party’s united front, provide responses, and relevant information. It was suggested to retain and verify unknown calls received, not to disclose personal information. As the infiltration methods of the Chinese Communist Party are constantly changing, the public should actively participate in discussions on public policies to understand the national policy landscape and help identify misinformation that attempts to mislead or sow discord.