Beijing’s issuing of residency permit cards for people from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, which came into effect yesterday, is part of a ploy to bring Taiwan into China’s political fold, the Mainland Affairs Council said.
The cards, which carry an 18-digit code, look almost identical to Chinese identification cards and are aimed at belittling Taiwan’s sovereignty, the council said.
While Beijing has claimed that the new cards will provide Taiwanese residents in China with better access to public services, the council said that it is part of Beijing’s “united front” strategy, and would only benefit China’s agenda.
Photo: CNA
China is being irresponsible, because it has ignored public concerns over the risks card applicants might face, the council said, calling on Beijing to withdraw its “political ploy” and instead contribute to peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait.
The council has warned Taiwanese against risks to personal privacy, particularly in light of Beijing’s efforts to create a vast network of surveillance cameras and facial recognition systems as a means of social control.
The council said that it will try to find out more about the differences between the new cards, and the temporary residence cards issued to Taiwanese working and living in China.
Photo: CNA
Electronic terminals at railway stations, airports, banks and other places will be able to read the cards, making life easier for cardholders who are studying and working in China, the Chinese State Council has said.
Taiwanese do not need to have household registration in China to apply for the new card, but should have resided in China for more than six months, and must have a stable job and a place of residence.
Taiwan Democracy Watch yesterday in a statement said that by differentiating between household registrations and places of residence, Beijing is attempting to circumvent Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例 ), which stipulates: “The people of the Taiwan Area may not have household registrations in the Mainland Area or hold passports issued by the Mainland Area.”
Beijing would gradually force international organizations, and foreign governments and businesses to require Taiwanese to present the new cards on different occasions, forcing Taiwanese to call themselves People’s Republic of China citizens, and thereby claim jurisdiction over Taiwanese, the group said.
The government should restrict or revoke the civic rights of those who apply for the new cards, treat them as dual citizens or enact a separate law to regulate their status, it added.
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS