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The Ministry of Education and the University of Toronto sign a Global Taiwan Studies Initiative Agreement

Date:
L-R: Prof. Joseph Wong, from the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, Catherine Y. M. Hsu, Director General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Toronto, Prof. Stephen J. Toope, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, and Hsu Ching-fang, President of the North American Taiwan Studies at the signing of the Cooperation Agreement on the Global Taiwan Studies Initiative

The Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the University of Toronto have signed an agreement to collaboratively support the Global Taiwan Studies initiative at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.
The cooperation agreement was signed by Ms. Catherine Y. M. Hsu, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Toronto, on behalf of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and by Professor Stephen J. Toope, Director of the Munk School, on June 6, 2016, and it will be implemented from September this year for three years. The University of Toronto will set up a Global Taiwan Studies Seminar Course, initiate a Taiwan Research Project, provide Taiwan Studies Student Scholarships, host Taiwan Studies academic events and activities, and publish Taiwan Studies related papers and research findings. This will help further the international understanding of Taiwan and create a new chapter in the collaboration between the institutions of higher education in Taiwan and in Canada.

Professor Toope emphasized that the University of Toronto, which is considered the most prestigious educational institute in Canada, highly values the importance of Taiwan Studies. He is therefore delighted to see the cooperation between the Munk School of Global Affairs, MOE and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Toronto. As an international-law scholar, Professor Toope is keenly aware of the unique nature of Taiwan’s international status, something which makes Taiwan worth studying. Professor Joseph Wong considers that setting up the Taiwan Studies program at the University is of great significance. He is looking forward to conferences, seminars, and courses about Taiwan in a global context, and he would like to publish a regular e-Journal for discussion about Taiwan. Ms. Hsu Ching-fang, a Ph.D. student at the University of Toronto and president of the North American Taiwan Studies Association spoke representing the university’s students, and briefly summarized the global development of Taiwan Studies in the past two decades. She told the audience that she was thrilled about the continuous growth of Taiwan Studies in Canada.

Ms. Catherine Y. M. Hsu, Director General of TECO, Toronto thanked the University of Toronto for collaborating with the Ministry of Education in promoting the Global Taiwan Studies initiative, and involving a wide range of disciplines, especially in a global context. She believed that all these efforts will help Canadian students and people around the world further understand Taiwan’s political, economic, social and cultural transformation and development. She also encouraged people from the local Taiwanese community to render their support to help advance Canadian academia and the general public’s understanding of Taiwan, and Taiwanese immigrants’ footprints and developments in Canada.

The signing ceremony was attended by more than 50 people, including University of Toronto professors and students, ROC Overseas Community Affairs Commissioners, leaders of local Taiwanese communities, media, and staff members of TECO Toronto. As well as the signing, all the guests enjoyed watching a slideshow retracing some past Global Taiwan Studies events jointly hosted by TECO Toronto and the university’s Asian Institute, and some documentaries filmed by the university’s students during their Taiwan trips.

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