In recent years, Taiwan’s visibility has significantly increased, elevating Taiwan-U.S. relations to a new level in modern history, with “resist China and protect Taiwan” becoming the mainstream consensus in the free world. After the success of the Sunflower Movement, new organizations and forces advocating for Taiwan’s interests have emerged domestically and internationally. However, why have various Taiwanese American organizations that have been active on and off the stage for decades faced existential crises?

Since Taiwanese American Andrew Yang’s involvement in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the Taiwanese American community has transitioned from being a minority within a minority to becoming a group that mainstream American society is most interested in understanding. From various perspectives, Taiwanese Americans rank among the top Asian American groups in terms of average income and education level. Yet, why is the substantial influence of Taiwanese Americans in mainstream American spheres not commensurate with these advantages?

Most Taiwanese American parents adhere to deeply rooted conventional views, focusing on urging their children to study hard and excel in exams in order to pursue limited opportunities in a few “noble professions”. But can this educational mindset enable the next generation of Taiwanese Americans to keep up with the times and surpass themselves?

Taiwan is the homeland or ancestral home of most Taiwanese Americans. Countless Taiwanese Americans have dedicated their lives to making Taiwan better and achieving its status as an independent sovereign state, leading Taiwan to not only create economic miracles but also become a globally renowned democratic model. Today, Taiwanese people’s self-identification has reached new heights, with a significant gap between supporters of unification and independence. However, Taiwan and its people must face intimidation and threats from neighboring powers striving to annex Taiwan, resisting against their aggressive attempts. While young people once sang “Island’s Sunrise”, many of today’s youth have become blind followers. Democracy liberated Taiwan from the authoritarian rule of the KMT, but is China, eyeing Taiwan, also using “democracy” to confront Taiwan and the United States? Will the next election truly be Taiwan’s last democratic election? How can the Taiwan-friendly camp break through its voter base and win elections to safeguard Taiwan’s future?

As Taiwanese Americans enter a new era, they must take a more proactive approach to address issues concerning Taiwan and the interests of Taiwanese people globally. They should acknowledge the foundation and public resources built by the Taiwanese American community over the years, gather various networks and resources to invest in themselves, and thus strengthen both Taiwan and the United States, becoming the MVPs of the free world.

This year’s Taiwanese American Conference-West Coast (TAC-WC) has the theme of “Investing in Taiwanese Americans, Elevate Taiwan and America”. It will be held from the evening of July 12th to the afternoon of July 14th at the DoubleTree Los Angeles of Rosemead, located in the largest Taiwanese diaspora community in North America, Los Angeles.

The Taiwanese American Conference-West Coast cordially invites all Taiwanese American compatriots who care about Taiwan and the future of Taiwanese Americans to revisit the past and learn about and appreciate the relentless efforts of Taiwanese American organizations over the years to safeguard the interests of Taiwanese Americans and improve Taiwan-U.S. relations. Through this perfect platform of the summer camp, the conference hopes to invite outstanding Taiwanese Americans from various fields and experts from Taiwan to lead everyone out of their comfort zones and address various new topics that need to be learned.

This year’s TAC-WC is honored to have many outstanding individuals to come and present. Over 46 speakers will share their insights on different important topics, including legal arguments for Taiwanese independence, emphasis on mental health issues, cultivating the next generation to be professional athletes while also aiding in education, and the impact of cross-border suppression by the Chinese Communist Party on the Taiwanese American community.

The TAC-WC this year will also feature two innovative special events! Firstly, the inaugural “One Taiwan One China Taiwan Strait Peace Youth Forum” (1T1C Global Youth Forum for Taiwan Strait Peace), attended by young commentators and aadvocates supporting Taiwan independence from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, the United States, and other countries, will discuss how to promote the ultimate goal of peace in the Taiwan Strait. Confirmed participants for this forum include Taiwanese advocates for legal statehood Journey, Chinese Taiwan independence activist Liu Dasheng, Harvard student Cosette Wu who confronts Chinese diplomat, Chinese democracy advocates like Jie Lijian, anti-communist American influencer Le Le Farley, and Black American Taiwanese independence advocate Najee Woods, among others. More speakers will be updated in due course, ensuring that there will be no shortage of topics of interest at this summer camp!

Another special event is the “Taiwanese American Legacies Experience (TALX)” specially designed for the new generation of Taiwanese Americans. TALX is a two-day (July 13-14) recreational summer camp filled with Taiwanese consciousness and cultural values. Children participating in TALX can learn basic conversations in Taiwanese, Hakka, and Mandarin Chinese in a joyful atmosphere, learn to make Taiwanese snacks, dance street dance with popular dance instructors, and engage in other meaningful courses to learn simple public speaking skills, career enlightenment education, basic meeting rules, and how to address school bullying and protect personal safety. The conference encourages Taiwanese American parents who have already registered for the summer camp to enthusiastically enroll their children aged 5 to 13. Most importantly, these future leaders of the Taiwanese American community can get to know each other, learn, and grow together!