News & Events >> 2007

TECO Invited to Expert Panel Discussion at Atlanta Independent School

June 14, 2007

President Hank Payne, of Atlanta's Woodward Academy, invited Director General R.C. Wu of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Atlanta, along several other experts, to join a panel discussion concerning the issue of globalization. The speakers consisted of Frank Lechner, Emory Professor of Sociology, Mike McCarthy, Managing Editor of CNN International, Brad Perkins, Deputy Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Peter White, President of SCIS and Director General R.C. Wu of TECO in Atlanta. The audience consisted of more than 70 educators from some of the largest and most complex independent schools in the United States.

Director General Wu began by introducing globalization in terms of Taiwan, its integration as the only democratic nation in Southeast Asia, as well as Taiwan's current progress with regards to tense relations with China which color the nature of Taiwan's international cooperation and the global community's perception of Taiwan. Taiwan continues to emerge on the global scene as a leading provider of high-tech products and as a leading trade partner to large and influential economies, such as the United States and China. He also expressed Taiwan's need and strong desire to reach out to the world. Taiwan has little land space for agricultural production; so, with scarce natural resources, it looks to the international community for a large portion of total goods in the Taiwanese agricultural market. On the other hand, for every Taiwanese (23 million population), $20k worth of products is exported to the United States.

Many students in Taiwan speak fluent English because of the major influence that the U.S. has had the nation's development. Now, one in three Taiwanese will go abroad to the U.S., mostly for graduate studies. It is becoming evermore obvious that U.S. students need to be fully prepared for multicultural experiences in their everyday lives and that U.S. educators should begin now to provide a truly internationally focused curriculum to its future generations. TECO is active in its belief that young people of the world need a multicultural education to be successful in an ever-shrinking world.

駐亞特蘭大辦事處吳處長應邀出席美國私人中學校長夏令營討論會

駐亞特蘭大辦事處吳處長本（六）月十四日偕胡光宜秘書赴亞城私立Woodward Academy中學參加私立中學校長夏令營全球化議題討論會，該會由W中學校長Hank Payne主持，共有美國全國私立中學校長約七十人與會，參加討論會者除吳處長外，包括CNN國際處主編Mike McCarthy、愛默里大學社會學教授Frank Lechner、南方國際研究中心會長Peter White及美國疾病管制中心國際醫療處副主任Brad Perkins等。吳處長於十分鐘引言中除以我國亮麗經貿數字彰顯我國際化程度，強調我國資源缺乏，每年每三人中有一人出國，每人生產兩萬美元產品貢獻國際社會，每人消費一千美元美國產品，繼說明我政府有關國際化各項政策，及國際上遭受中國打壓成為不正常國家不公平情形，強調台灣地小人稠，唯人民勤奮上進，有能力也有意願貢獻國際社會。吳處長最後呼籲美國與台灣簽署自由貿易協定，協助台灣正常參與國際經貿體系。與會人員曾提出中國經濟崛起及美國中文教育等問題詢問吳處長，吳處長鈞詳予答覆。與會各學校校長均甚為關切美中學生未深入瞭解國際地理文化，漠視國際事務，妨礙美國全球化，甚多時間在討論如何改進等情。

Rev 2/15/08