Abstract
In 2021, Taiwan adopted a policy to become a bilingual nation by 2030 and is working with the US to improve English learning. Before this, Taiwan’s education already included English as a compulsory subject for most grades. In the early 2000s, bilingual schools such as the International Bilingual School at Tainan Science Park (IBST) were founded. However, some IBST graduates have voiced difficulty integrating with the world outside of IBST and express a lack of connection with the terms “Taiwanese” and “Asian American.” In this project, I interview students, teachers, and politicians to examine the expression of identity by IBST students and analyze the issues present to demonstrate how US-Taiwan relations contribute to this identity. Interviewees indicate social barriers, community problems, and the isolation these create as factors in student identity. IBST is also influenced by American content that presents a West-centric narrative, and the US has influence over Taiwan in economics, education, defense, and more. Because of the US primacy in the defense of Taiwan, the latter is bound by what theorist Jodi Kim calls a "debt of gratitude.” The US may intend to use Taiwan as an American extension to exert control in Asia in case of war. To maintain control over this extension, it may need English-speaking Taiwanese personnel with American values to oversee in their place—a role suitable for bilingual school graduates. Ultimately, US-Taiwan relations have contributed to an environment where English education is desirable, inspiring international schools and allowing IBST student identity to exist.