Beijing is attempting to create the illusion that it has jurisdiction over Taiwan with its new residency permits for Taiwanese, a government official said yesterday on condition of anonymity.
With the cards, Beijing is attempting to make it seem as though some Taiwanese are governed by China, the official said, adding that Beijing is attempting to “govern Taiwan prior to unification” and to implement the “one country, two systems” principle in advance.
The Chinese State Council Information Office on Aug. 16 announced that from this month, Taiwanese, Hong Kongers and Macanese who have lived, worked or studied legally in China for more than six months would be eligible to apply for the cards, although reports have said that applicants who present proof of residence or employment, or are married to Chinese, could apply regardless of their time in China.
Photo: CNA
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) at a routine news conference did not deny the reports, saying that local agencies would treat applicants on a case-by-case basis and try to meet the needs of applicants.
The office on Sept. 11 said that as of Sept. 10, more than 22,000 Taiwanese had applied for the cards.
On Wednesday, it said the cards are popular among Taiwanese in China, but did not give an updated number of how many had applied.
The Mainland Affairs Council said the government needs to block the political intention behind the cards.
To effectively counter China’s “united front” tactics and to lower the risk the cards pose to national security, the government must continue with security measures, such as registering people who have the cards, the council said.
The residency permits pose risks not only to personal data, but also national security, the anonymous government official said yesterday.
China has pressed international organizations to recognize “Taiwan compatriot travel documents” — permits issued to Taiwanese by Chinese authorities for travel to China — and limit the use of Republic of China (ROC) passports to weaken the passports’ power, the official said.
China might make the residency permits more powerful, such as by allowing holders to apply for Chinese passports or replacing ROC passports with them, the official said.
Yang Weimin (楊偉民), deputy director of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference’s Committee for Economic Affairs, said possible reform of the Chinese household registration system might combine household registration with the residency card and the Chinese national identification card.
Beijing might also combine “Taiwan compatriot travel documents” with the residency card and the national ID card, managing the information as part of its household registration system, the Taiwanese official said, adding that developments need to be closely monitored.
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