TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Minister of Culture Li Yuan (李遠) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) convened their inaugural "Dual Ministerial Meeting" on Tuesday (Feb. 11) to explore cultural diplomacy opportunities. The Ministry of Culture (MOC, 文化部) emphasized the need for collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA, 外交部) to use "cultural diplomacy" as Taiwan's international calling card.
Lin stated that culture and diplomacy could complement each other, highlighting culture as a key element of "value diplomacy." Lin cited Liu Suan-yung's (劉玄詠) role as representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Austria and "music ambassador" as proof that culture is a universal language. During the talks, the ministries focused on the "Taiwan Culture Year"(台灣文化年) and "Osaka Cultural Expo" (大阪文化世博) to deepen Taiwan-Europe cultural exchanges.
Li credited last year's successful Cultural Olympiad (文化奧運) organized by the MOC, with aid from MOFA Deputy Minister François Wu (吳志中), with the ongoing efforts in the Osaka Expo cultural exhibitions and European arts festivals.
The Osaka Cultural Expo, scheduled for July to August, will showcase Taiwan's cultural arts, covering themes like children's futures, film, and literature. The MOC plans to relocate the TAIWAN PLUS event, a Taiwanese cultural festival where will gather diverse Taiwanese cultural brands and products to promote Taiwan's tourism, to Osaka, while the MOFA launches a global "Discover Taiwan" (尋找台灣) social media campaign. Both ministries are committed to inventorying cultural resources and fostering cooperation to promote cultural diplomacy.
