《TAIPEI TIMES》 Bill to create culture and content agency approved by Cabinet

By Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter

A bill to establish a culture and content agency to boost the nation’s creative and cultural industries was approved by the Cabinet yesterday, with more government resources to be channeled to developing the nation’s image.

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Under the bill, a government-funded foundation is to be established as an intermediary cultural organization between the public and private sectors to help promote the production of cultural content, such as movies, music, comic books and games.

The idea is to “form a national team to develop Taiwan’s cultural brand and tap international markets,” the Ministry of Culture said.

The “national team” is to be joined by the National Culture and Arts Foundation, the National Performing Arts Center, the Taiwan Film Institute and the Taiwan Design Center to provide government assistance to artists, businesses and investors.

“Faced with the challenges of imported cultural products, it is extremely urgent for Taiwan to improve cultural content and give necessary support to the industry,” the ministry said.

The legislation, along with an amendment to the Act for the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries （文化創意產業發展法） also approved yesterday, was launched last year to overcome a brain drain associated with the nation’s insufficient capacity to produce cultural content on an industrial scale, Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun （鄭麗君） said.

The legislation is aimed at developing an ecosystem for local cultural industries by increasing investment and production capacity, while the government is to provide funding to develop industries which attract private investment.

A total of NT$10 billion （US$341.8 million） is to be allocated for the development of cultural industries, which would “ignite” private investment, Cheng said.

In response to China’s 31 economic and employment benefits extended to Taiwanese, with some specifically set to attract entertainment and cultural industries, Cheng urged China to reduce censorship and have a meaningful interaction with Taiwan’s cultural sector.

Beijing has tightened its grip on the creative freedom of the Chinese entertainment industry, which is not advantageous for positive cross-strait cultural interactions, she said.

Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung （徐國勇） said the Cabinet also discussed the potential impact of China’s benefits and would put forward a set of responsive measures next week.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES