Now the time to promote Taiwan content: minister

Now is the opportune moment to promote original “T-Content” — meaning Taiwan Content — internationally, because if Taiwan fails to act, the term could become linked to Thai productions instead, Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) said on Tuesday.

Shih made the comments during a speech at an event in Taipei attended by local and international journalists at which he outlined challenges facing T-Content from the film industry and content creators.

Foreign nationals often confuse Taiwan and Thailand, but in the past few years, Taiwan has increasingly established its distinct identity as a technology powerhouse, he said.

“This provides Taiwan with an ideal backdrop against which to promote original T-Content because the world needs Taiwan, and many countries support Taiwan in the international community,” he said.

However, if Taiwan fails to take advantage of the moment, TContent will come to refer to Thai movies and TV shows instead of Taiwanese productions, he said.

This is because Thai filmmakers clearly know their strengths, which are makeup for horror films and sound effects, he said.

Taiwan seems to lack definitive cultural exports other than boba tea, despite Taiwanese often saying the country has many stories to tell the world, Shih said.

The UK featured rock music and James Bond at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, while the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 showcased Nintendo characters, he said.

What would Taiwan feature if it were to host the event one day, he asked.

Headgear such as Apple’s Vision Pro might become the dominant platform for viewing content, so Taiwanese creators should stay ahead of the curve, he added.