Overseas Community Affairs Council
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.
| 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 | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 1926 (in Guangzhou, Guangdong) |
| Jurisdiction | Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Headquarters | Zhongzheng, Taipei, Taiwan |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Parent agency | Executive Yuan |
| Website | www.ocac.gov.tw |
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. 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 (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 (陳清文) | 16 July 1958 | 24 June 1960 | 709 | Kuomintang | Chen Cheng II |
| 7 | Chou Shu-kai (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 (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 | 1255 | Democratic Progressive Party | Su Tseng-chang II |
| 19 | Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) | 31 January 2023 | Designate | 269 | 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
- Shih Hsiu-chuan (2012-11-13). "DPP slams OCAC's use of simplified characters". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
- "News Ticker". Taiwan Today. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). 13 November 2012.
- Longest serving female cabinet member.
External links
