Bill Text: WV HCR42 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging U.S. universities to relocate Chinese language programs from mainland China to Taiwan
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Republican 10-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-03-12 - On Unfinished Business, House Calendar [HCR42 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2022-HCR42-Introduced.html
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 42
(By Delegates Hamrick, Ferrell, Haynes, Horst, Howell, Kessinger, Linville, Longanacre, Maynard, Maynor, and Zukoff)
[February 2, 2022]
Urging U.S. universities to relocate Chinese language programs from mainland China to Taiwan.
Whereas, Students benefit enormously from overseas educational programs that promote cultural and language learning and these benefits are typically realized by the students’ home countries; and
Whereas, The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is an American top-three trading partner and is a global economic and strategic power; and
Whereas, English language education is compulsory for students in the PRC while comparatively few U.S. students study Chinese languages either domestically or overseas; and
Whereas, Many U.S. institutions of higher education have foreign language and culture programs in the PRC, however the number of U.S. students studying Chinese languages in China has declined steadily since 2011; and
Whereas, Taiwan has developed the educational infrastructure to accommodate and enlarge foreign exchange programs including the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) establishment of the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship and the Taiwan Scholarship Program in 2004 to encourage foreign students to study Mandarin or pursue their degree studies; and
Whereas, Taiwanese universities are rising in the QS World University Rankings; and
Whereas, Mandarin has been designated by the U.S. government as a critical need language to maintain U.S. national security making it more important now than ever for Americans to study Mandarin; and
Whereas, Mandarin Chinese is the official language of both the PRC and Taiwan; and
Whereas, The United States and Taiwan launched the Taiwan-U.S. Education Initiative in December 2020 in order to expand access to Mandarin and English language instruction between our two democracies and to highlight Taiwan’s potential to provide Mandarin language instruction to American students and students around the world; and
Whereas, In accordance with the Taiwan-U.S. Education initiative, Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) has already opened Taiwan Centers across the United States to provide Chinese language courses for American adults; and
Whereas, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with National Taiwan University (NTU) which will enable Northwestern University undergraduates to travel to NTU for language instruction in accordance with the Taiwan-U.S. Education Initiative; and
Whereas, American universities have begun to identify operational challenges and quality concerns with language programs in the PRC, including lack of proper facilities and the rise of unfriendly sentiment toward American institutions; and
Whereas, Harvard University decided in October 2021 to relocate their highly-regarded Chinese language program from Beijing Language and Cultural University in Beijing, China, to National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, in part due to what university officials described as “a perceived lack of friendliness” on the part of their counterparts at the Beijing institution; and
Whereas, Taiwan’s economic and strategic partnership with the United States is strengthening in contrast to the increasing strains in U.S.-China relations; and
Whereas, Taiwan is a likeminded, liberal democracy that adheres to free market principles and is among America’s most important economic and strategic partners in the Asia-Pacific; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the House of Delegates encourages institutes of higher education to relocate Chinese language and cultural programs from the PRC to Taiwan to advance U.S. national security interests, strengthen ties between our two democracies and promote a positive learning environment to enhance comprehensive Mandarin language education for American students; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a copy of this resolution to members of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation.
