5/2/17

Scholars Gather at the University of St. Thomas to kick off Taiwan Studies Biennial Symposium

Director General Louis Huang, Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Houston, gave a welcome remark at opening ceremony

The 2017 Taiwan Studies Biennial Symposium took place on April 22, 2017 at the University of St. Thomas. Fifteen specialists on Taiwan affairs from across the United States and Taiwan presented their research on Taiwan’s domestic development, relations in the region, and relations with the United States.

Director General Louis Huang, Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Houston, gave a welcome remark at opening ceremony. During lunch, Director Sophie Chou from the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Houston gave a presentation on “Building Sustainable Taiwan Studies Programs through Partnership”. In the evening, Dr. Shelley Rigger, Chair of Chinese Studies from Davidson College, presented the keynote address,“Taiwan in the Age of Trump: Best of Times, Worst of Times or Something in Between?” during dinner banquet. The unique observations and humorous speeches brought the house down. There were nearly a hundred attendees joined this event and shared their concerns regarding the past, present, and future of Taiwan.

This symposium, hosted by the Center for International Studies of the University of St. Thomas, was funded by the Taiwan Studies Program of the Ministry of Education. The Taiwan Studies project launched at the University of St. Thomas in May 2016. The Taiwan Studies Program has initiated 44 Taiwan Studies projects at 35 world-class universities in 16 countries and regions from Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania since 2003. These projects, based on the specialty of each university, focus on the research fields of economics, history, politics, society, literature, Chinese language, arts, and film.