Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien’s (連勝文) wife, Patty Tsai (蔡依珊), is in the process of renouncing her Canadian citizenship, according to a statement from the Taipei law firm LCS & Partners.
Tsai signed a contract with the law firm on April 23 authorizing it to contact Canadian attorneys about Canada’s regulations relating to the renounciation of citizenship, the statement said.
The relevant procedures are under way, the firm said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Attorney Lin Ching-fe (林進富) said in the statement that the processing of Tsai’s application was not complete.
Lien’s campaign office issued the statement on behalf of the firm in response to a report in the latest edition of the Chinese-language weekly, Next Magazine that said it had received a tip from a person at an airline that Tsai presented a Canadian passport while transiting through Hong Kong last year, as did the couple’s two children.
Asked to verify the report yesterday, Lien said he felt sorry that his wife had to give up her Canadian citizenship because of his political career.
“She did not have to do this. She is not running in the election. I really appreciate that she is willing to make a sacrifice because of the need to accommodate the sentiment [against politicians holding dual citizenship] in Taiwan’s electoral culture. I feel sad in my heart and really sorry,” Lien said.
“I am the one running for election. What is important is that I have never acquired a foreign nationality by applying for one,” he said.
Lien won the KMT mayoral primary on April 19.
Under the Nationality Act (國籍法), Taiwanese may hold dual citizenships, but those holding public office must surrender their foreign citizenship.
Dual nationality has been a sensitive topic in recent years, with some people saying that public servants or elected officials holding dual citizenship could undercut their allegiance to this nation.
Tsai, daughter of the owner of Shanghai Shanghai (紅豆食府), a famous restaurant in Taiwan, immigrated to Canada with her family when she was 14 and eventually obtained citizenship, Lien said.
Next Magazine said Lien could gain Canadian citizenship as Tsai’s spouse if Tsai continued to hold Canadian nationality.
However, the Canadian government’s Web site states that marriage to a Canadian citizen does not provide their spouse with citizenship.
If a Canadian’s spouse wants to acquire Canadian citizenship, they must follow the same steps as any other applicant.
In related news, independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said his father had once applied for a US green card for him. However, Ko said he had given the green card up years ago.
“My uncles left Taiwan to live in the US because of the 228 Massacre. My father was the only one among his siblings to stay in Taiwan,” the physician-turned-candidate said. “At the time, my father had a green card, and he applied for one for me, thinking it would be better for me to move to the US later on.”
However, after he graduated from National Taiwan University’s medical school, he decided he did not want a green card, Ko said.
“I told my father that I wanted to become a doctor in Taiwan, not in the US, so I went to the American Institute in Taiwan to fill out forms to give up the green card myself,” Ko said.
Asked about the Next Magazine story about Tsai’s Canadian citizenship, Ko said it was not a big deal since Tsai lived in Canada for a long time. Election laws do not prohibit a candidate’s spouse from having foreign citizenship, he said.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
STREAMLINED: The dedicated funding would allow the US to transfer equipment to Taiwan when needed and order upgraded replacements for stockpiles, a source said The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a defense appropriations bill totaling US$838.7 billion, of which US$1 billion is to be allocated to reinforcing security cooperation with Taiwan and US$150 million to replace defense articles provided to the nation. These are part of the Consolidated Appropriation Act, which the US House yesterday passed with 341 votes in favor and 88 against. The act must be passed by the US Senate before Friday next week to avoid another government shutdown. The US House Committee on Appropriations on Monday unveiled the act, saying that it allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative
RSS