The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC; Chinese: 僑務委員會; pinyin: Qiáo Wù Wěiyuánhuì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kiâu-bū Úi-oân-hōe; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Khièu-vu Vî-yèn-fi) is a cabinet-level council of the Executive Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The council was founded in 1926 in Canton (Guangzhou) in Kwangtung (Guangdong) Province.
| 僑務委員會 Qiáo Wù Wěiyuánhuì (Taiwanese Mandarin) Kiâu-bū Úi-oân-hōe (Taiwanese Hokkien) Khièu-vu Vî-yèn-fi (Taiwanese Hakka) | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 1926 (inGuangzhou, Guangdong) |
| Jurisdiction | Republic of China (Taiwan) |
| Headquarters | Zhongzheng, Taipei, Taiwan |
| Minister responsible |
|
| Parent agency | Executive Yuan |
| Website | www.ocac.gov.tw |
Its main objective is to serve as a cultural, education, economic and informational exchanges organization between Taiwan and the overseas Taiwanese and Chinese descent communities. Its remit is not limited to expatriates from Taiwan, but includes all ethnic Taiwanese and Chinese living in a foreign country who "identify with the Republic of China (ROC)".[1]
With the evolution of the political landscape and the Taiwanese localization movement, the organization now puts emphasis not only in Standard Chinese, but also on Taiwanese, Hakka, and other Taiwanese cultural expressions.[clarification needed] It offers information about aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, and its overseas offices may serve, in addition to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Offices.
| Name | Time in use |
|---|---|
| Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission | October 1926 – April 2006 |
| Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission | April 2006 – 1 September 2012 |
| Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission | 1 September 2012 – 12 November 2012 |
| Overseas Community Affairs Council | Since 12 November 2012[2] |
The English title of the council was changed from "Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission" to "Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission" in 2006, officially to "avoid being confused as a governmental body of the People's Republic of China", under the desinicization policies of independence-leaning President Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. However, its English acronym OCAC and Chinese name remained the same, to reduce the expense for its official title change. After the Kuomintang renewed its mandate in the 2012 election, the official English name was changed back to the original.
However, in November 2012 there was a controversy when it was discovered that the OCAC used simplified Chinese characters in some of its teaching materials. Amid threats in November 2012 from Democratic Progressive Party legislators to freeze the OCAC's budget, its director relented to demands to rename the OCAC to the ROC (Taiwan) Overseas Community Affairs Council.[1]
Political Party: Kuomintang Democratic Progressive Party Non-partisan/ unknown
The council is accessible within walking distance North East from NTU Hospital Station of the Taipei Metro.
