President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation of board members from Panama's Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center (Sun Yat-Sen Institute) at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of May 19. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC (Taiwan), extended a cordial welcome and deep appreciation to the visitors.
The president commented that the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center holds an extremely important position in Panama in that it is one of the largest schools for overseas compatriots. Presently the school has 1,750 students, with local Panamanians comprising a very high 30% of the student body. The president said that the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center uses traditional long-form Chinese characters in its education, which is quite rare in Latin America. President Ma said he has repeatedly advocated the use of long-form Chinese characters since they represent the heritage of Chinese culture, something which is extremely meaningful.
President Ma remarked that simplified Chinese characters are used in mainland China. While the population there is significantly larger than in Taiwan, traditional Chinese characters are widely used in books and other publications published in Taiwan, Hong Kong and overseas. The president said that we have recently improved relations with mainland China and that the two sides have reached common ground with regards to Chinese characters. While it is impossible to change things overnight, many scholars in mainland China have advocated increased use of long-form Chinese characters because they play a key role in the transmission of Chinese culture. Understanding traditional characters makes it possible to understand the classics, he said. While some people may not have the need to study these ancient texts, a familiarity with long-form characters is crucial for people who desire to better understand Chinese culture. Therefore, a new way of thinking has emerged that calls for people to at least understand traditional characters, even if they prefer to write simplified characters. The president said that people in Taiwan also use some simplified characters even though the simplified form of many characters written here is not exactly the same as that in mainland China. What is most important, however, is that traditional characters be used as much as possible in publishing. This provides a connection with ancient culture, which is of utmost importance, the president said.
President Ma noted that the Chinese-Panamanian Cultural Center includes a kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school and high school. The Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission provides related teaching materials, and part of those are sourced from Taiwan. In an effort to promote computer education and digital learning opportunities, Taiwan has donated 36 computers to the school. In addition, Taiwan has invited teachers from the school back here for training. President Ma expressed his hopes that schools for overseas compatriots in the future will not only focus on the objective of educating the next generation in Chinese, but will also promote Chinese culture in general and Taiwan culture in particular.