The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday premiered The Most Beautiful Sight (最美的風景), a short film on the issue of Chinese spouses in Taiwan, in a bid to encourage them to further identify with their adopted nation.
Each cross-strait marriage has its own unique characteristics and should be cherished, MAC Minister Katharine Chang (張小月) said at the premiere, held at a bookstore in Taipei’s Songshan Cultural Creative Park — where the film was shot.
“On behalf of Taiwanese, we would like to thank those who have come to Taiwan to get married for their contributions,” she said, adding that the government would continue to offer assistance to the families of Chinese spouses.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Chang also held a face-to-face conversation with two Chinese spouse, who urged Chang to relax regulations on the number of times that Chinese relatives are allowed to visit and also on the kind of jobs that spouses are allowed to apply for.
The government is already looking into the possibility of loosening such regulations, Chang said, adding that she hopes that immediate relatives, cousins and even grandparents of spouses would be able to visit.
According to the Act on Permission for Entrance of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法), the parents of a spouse may visit for up to three months and are granted one extension of three months, making a total of six months per year.
Siblings of spouses may only stay for three months per application, but may apply twice per year. Siblings are not allowed to apply for extensions.
Songshan Cultural Creative Park is a must for Chinese tourists and an example of Taiwan’s liberal society and ideals, Chang said.
The female protagonist in the short film was able to independently pursue her own ideals because of such a society, she added.
No matter which province of China a spouse comes from, they are now a part of Taiwan, and are helping the nation grow by contributing their passion and time, Chang said.
In other news, Chang yesterday again called on Beijing to give a clear account of the case of Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲), who is being held in China on charges of “subversion of state power.”
The Chinese authorities should disclose the site of Lee’s detention, specify what crimes he is alleged to have committed and allow his family to visit him as soon as possible, she said.
Beijing has no reason to bar Lee’s family from visiting him, she said, adding that such visits are a basic human right.
Lee went missing after entering China via Macao on March 19, and was later confirmed to have been detained by the Chinese authorities.
The Chinese government on Monday last week said that Lee has been arrested on charges of “subversion of state power” and has been in detention in Hunan Province since March 19.
Meanwhile, commenting on the upcoming 28th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, a series of demonstrations in China in 1989 that culminated on June 4 with a deadly government crackdown, Chang said she hopes the Chinese government would come to understand its people’s desire for freedom, democracy and human rights and move to liberalize and democratize the country soon.
Additional reporting by CNA
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