Chen Hsiu-pao Worried About Opposition's Proposal to Cut Media Promotion Budget; Lee Yuen Hopes for Communication

By Wang Pao-erh, Taipei, July 16 (Central News Agency) — Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chen Hsiu-pao expressed concern today over the opposition party's threat to fully eliminate media promotion funding, raising questions about how the Ministry of Culture would carry out its duties. Minister of Culture Lee Yuen stated he hopes to appeal for itemized discussions with legislators, urging them not to cut the budget entirely.

During a special report at the Legislative Yuan's Education and Culture Committee on the topic "Reviewing the Ministry of Culture's International Communication Policy Effectiveness through Disaster Response, Cultural Content Investment, and Public Resource Subsidies," Lee said many people have a mistaken perception of media promotion funds, believing they are used for advertising or internal propaganda. In reality, he explained, this budget is clearly allocated to specific events — essentially serving as marketing expenses for each cultural activity.

He noted that although the Ministry of Culture operated for a year without media promotion funding last year, this does not mean such funding is unnecessary. Many international cultural promotion events, such as the Osaka Cultural Expo, relied on private fundraising to support the ministry's efforts. Without proper budgeting, many initiatives could have been executed more effectively, and the ministry's achievements were only possible due to the relentless dedication of its staff. (Edited by Li Ming-tsung) 1150716