The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday that the rights of Chinese spouses married to Taiwanese to work and live in Taiwan was a matter that would be addressed one step at a time.
The Council attaches great importance to the rights and interests of the about 300,000 Chinese spouses married to Taiwanese, Council Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said during a symposium sponsored by the Cross-Strait Marriage Consultation and Enhancement Association, a private organization.
SAFEGUARDS
Lai said the council had adopted a three-pronged approach to safeguard the rights and interests of Chinese spouses.
Spouses would be welcome to enter the country as long as their marriage was genuine and legal and the council would spare no effort protecting the interests of legitimate couples.
In instances where Chinese women enter Taiwan via a false marriage, however, the council would deal with severity, she said.
As for Chinese spouses’ right to work, as well as the period they are allowed to stay in Taiwan, Lai said any changes to the regulations would have to be reflected in amendments to the Statute Governing the Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例).
DECLINE
Lai said the number of cross-strait marriages registered in Taiwan declined during the past two years — from 39,000 in 2003 to slightly more than 10,000 last year and in 2006 — mainly as a result of a crackdown on marriages of convenience and marriage brokers.
Lai said that marriages between people who actually know and love each other would represent the great majority of cross-strait marriages.
Chinese spouses will also face different requirements, Lai said, adding that the spouses of Taiwanese working in China would likely demand long-term multiple entry and exit permits rather than seeking longer periods of legal stay.
UNJUST
During a meeting with representatives of the Cross-Strait Marriage Consultation and Enhancement Association on July 16, Lai said the Council expressed its intent to repeal what it saw as unjust regulations governing Chinese spouses that were enacted in the past four years by the Democratic Progressive Party administration of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).
Those regulations include a requirement that foreign spouses provide proof of financial solvency when applying for a national identity card.
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