China did not consult with Taiwan before implementing a new policy concerning the entry of Taiwanese visitors into its territory, Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said yesterday, adding that the government is “extremely dissatisfied” with the lack of discussions.
“It has to be stated quite clearly that this is extremely hurtful to the feelings of our people,” Mao said during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan.
China notified Taipei about the new electronic card before its trial in July and its full implementation yesterday, but without prior consultations, Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Lin Chu-chia (林祖嘉) said.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
There has been a lack of consultation despite Taiwan’s persistent demand that there should be prior consultations before any important policy concerning cross-strait relations is announced, Lin told lawmakers.
Taiwan had asked Beijing whether the use of the new card might be expanded, but no response has been received, Lin added.
The new credit card-sized travel pass replaces the “Taiwan compatriot travel document” (台胞證) that Taiwanese have used until now.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
In a public notice issued on Tuesday last week, Beijing said Taiwanese could apply to its public security departments above the county level to exchange their travel document for the new card and authorities would stop issuing paper documents yesterday.
Those who hold a paper “Taiwan compatriot travel document” could continue to use it until it expires, Lin said.
To coincide with the introduction of the new card, Beijing began in July to grant permit-free treatment to Taiwanese, which removed the need for an entry permit.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The integrated-chip card system was implemented on a trial basis on July 1, less than a month after Beijing announced the change, and Taiwan was officially informed of the policy 20 minutes before it took effect, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) said.
China’s unilateral decision to adopt the new card on such short notice showed disrespect for Taiwan, Hsia said during a visit to the US in July.
The switch to a smart card has created suspicion among many Taiwanese that Beijing is using it to downgrade Taiwan’s status to that of Hong Kong and Macau.
The card is similar to the “Hong Kong and Macau resident travel permit to enter the interior” (港澳居民來往內地通行證), which is also known as a “home visit permit” (回鄉證), critics have said.
Some Taiwanese academics have also voiced concern about possible data security breaches with the use of the card.
Experts have said that the smart chip embedded in the card would make it easy for Taiwanese tourists in China to be subjected to police surveillance.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
RSS