Culture Ministry vows to protect cultural sovereignty

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) The Ministry of Culture (MOC) will take the initiative to reform Taiwan's cultural content industry in an effort to protect "cultural sovereignty" from the threat of digital streaming, Culture Minister Lee Yung-te (李永得) said Sunday.

Lee's remarks were published in a statement the MOC released after the conclusion of the quadrennial National Culture Congress.

This year's event, held from May 28-29, consisted of six symposiums with professionals and experts working in culture and arts.

In a statement, the MOC explained that due to the growth of digital content creation and streaming, younger consumers had an abundance of information in the palm of their hands.

The government must do all it can to develop the cultural content industry to keep cultural sovereignty intact, the MOC said, adding that it will proactively consolidate all of the nation's available resources to preserve and advance such sovereignty.

In addition, in the face of the growing development of emerging and digital technologies, the MOC will continue to seek out partnerships with experts to find more solutions to preserve cultural sovereignty, the statement said.

The talks covered four main topics: visual arts, performing arts, digital cultural communications, and the application of technology to culture, according to the MOC.

The national congress, which is usually held every four years, was held for the first time in five years after being delayed from 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Lee said the event was very fruitful and that he had learned a lot from speaking with people who work in cultural preservation and promotion.

The congress yielded a total of 122 suggestions that Lee described as "culture policies" that the MOC would either take into consideration or carry out after further discussions within his ministry.

In accordance with the Cultural Fundamental Act, the MOC convenes a National Culture Congress once every four years to collect opinions from a wide range of sectors and map out national cultural development.

According to Lee, his ministry spent almost a whole year mapping out the topics of discussion for the symposiums and collecting opinions from professionals working in the cultural sphere and the public.

Lee said while Taiwan had always been proud of being a nation built on a rich cultural foundation, its cultural production capability was insufficient, resulting in the cultural policies often being implemented with unclear execution and goals.

To improve this long-unresolved problem, changes must be made in the budget for programs and in how the nation thinks about culture, Lee said.

Additionally, cultivating the talent of individuals dedicated to the development of the nation's culture content industry would also help tackle the problem, he added.

Information about the congress, such as discussions, will be posted on the event's website.

Suggestions and ideas about the topics addressed at the congress can continue to be submitted on the website, according to the MOC.