[Breitbart] Taiwan will make English an official language beginning next year in an attempt to help citizens pursue opportunities abroad, Premier William Lai announced this week.In an interview with United Daily News, Lai said that the move would encourage Taiwanese people to learn the language which would, in turn, allow them to pursue greater opportunities abroad. The plan involves opening bilingual schools across the country and providing intensive English tuition from a very young age.
"I will set a policy goal next year to make Taiwan a bilingual country, with English and Chinese being its official languages," Lai told the United Daily News. "Culture is our root, and the English language is our tool ‐ or see it as our foot, if you will. Given that language is the primary tool of communication, a lack of English proficiency hampers one from gaining an advantageous position in international competitiveness."
Lai also pointed out that while serving as Mayor of Tainan City, his efforts to install English as the region’s second language were very well received by locals. Taiwanese and Mandarin remain Taiwan’s most widely spoken languages, although the country also has a number of local and indigenous dialects such as Hakka and Matsu.