TCCBC Welcomes Mrs. Ma, the First Lady of Taiwan's Visit
On February 4th, Taiwan Chamber of Commerce in BC had the honor to welcome Mrs. Ma, the First Lady of Taiwan to Vancouver. President Chang greeted Mrs. Ma with flowers to show TCCBC’s welcome. Taipei Economics and Cultural Office in Canada Representative Lee, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Vancouver Director Chou, many Commissioners and some officials were also there to greet Mrs. Ma with a warm welcome.
Mrs. Ma’s visit is the first First Lady of Taiwan to visit Vancouver since 1970 and the Taiwanese Canadian community is very excited about Mrs. Ma’s arrival. Her visit this time is mainly culturally oriented; Mrs. Ma is with Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan which will be performing in the 2010 Cultural Olympiad.
President Christina Chang met with Mr. Matthew Chou and Mr .Abraham Lin from Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, as well as Mrs. Karen Wang and Mr. Colin Kang from Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission on October 7th to discuss in-depth about the “E-Generation Taiwanese Canadian” program that is planned to occur next March. She shared her experiences in Taiwan where she met with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and won their support for the program.
Throughout the meeting, Mr. Kang, Mr. Lin, Mr. Chou and Mrs. Wang all commended President Chang on her passion. Moreover, they appreciated the detailed organization of the program, which is targeted mainly at 30 second or third generation Taiwanese who has traveled to Taiwan. The main objective of the program is to send the chosen applicants to Taiwan so they could acquaint themselves with their mother country, learn more about Taiwan and then share their experience with other e-generation Taiwanese back in Canada. Another one of the goals is to ensure this program can be a long-term annual event rather than a one-time offering.
Although Mr. Kang and Mrs. Wang offered their support during the meeting, they pointed out several potential problems that must be addressed. The most important issue is money and funding, as they pointed out it is paramount for the Taiwanese government to approve of paying for the plane tickets estimated at $1000 USD per person. Another concern is advertising the program, which President Chang plans to address by scheduling interviews with the World Journal News. Finally, precise details such as the exact size of the committee, responsible for choosing the qualified applicants, will be decided in future meetings.
President Chang’s Meeting with Ex-Vice President Lu
President Christina Changof the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in B.C. met with Taiwan’s ex-Vice President Annette Lu to discuss the logistics of the “E-Generation Root and Culture Searching” program. Ex-Vice President Lu was highly enthusiastic about the program, which she labeled as a chance for e-generation Taiwanese to understand Taiwan’s “Industry in the North, Culture in the South.”
She also generously offered a job called “Yushan Media” for 2 e-generation individuals who are skilled in both English and Mandarin. They will be required to perform translation services from Mandarin to English for electronic news reports. The goal is to instantly transmit electronic news, originating from Taiwan, to reach oversea Chinese communities, such as Vancouver and Los Angeles. President Chang accepted the offer and extended an invitation to welcome ex-Vice President Lu to visit Vancouver.
Upcoming Event
TCCBC AGM
TCCBC will hold its 2010 AGM and elect new directors on June 25th. All members are welcome to attend and honour your vote. The following information is for your reference:
Date: June 25th
Time:11am~2:30pm
Place:
Point Grey Golf
& Country Club
Special Guest:
MLA Mr. Rob Howard
Fee: CAD 40 for guests and members without renewing membership 2010
Contact: Wendy Lee
Phone:604-771-8585
