Chung extended his invitation when replying to a media question regarding the statement made at a press conference the previous day in Beijing by Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮), the spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of the People's Republic of China.
Expressing her wish to visit Taiwan, Zhu identified herself as a Hakka from Guangdong Province, and said in the Hakka that she would like to meet Taiwanese Hakka people face to face if she has an opportunity.
HAC’s Chung said he welcomes Zhu to make her visit to Taiwan, inviting her to experience the country’s ethnic diversity and vibrant democracy.
Asked about Zhu’s criticism of Taiwan’s National Language Development Act, which, in her opinion, might bring about de-sinicization, the Deputy Minister pointed out that the passage of the Act indicates the Taiwan government shows respect for different races and protects the languages and cultures of ethnic minorities. The voice of each ethnic group can be heard in Taiwanese society because of freedom and equality, which are core values in Taiwan’s democratization, Chung said, adding that it has nothing to do with the so-called de-sinicization.
Chung said that Taiwanese people strongly disapprove of racial oppression and ideological education in China’s ethnic minority regions.
Chung remarked that Taiwan has always been a multiethnic and multilingual place, but there had been a time when Taiwanese people were not allowed to speak their mother tongues freely under the language policy overemphasizing Mandarin. Noting that the National Language Development Act aims to secure linguistic diversity and perpetuate all the ethnic languages in Taiwan, the Deputy Minister said the Council has been drafting the Hakka Development Act in order to permit more Hakka people to learn about their own language and culture and be proud of their ethnic identity.