Kaohsiung has finalized the registration of a cross-strait same-sex couple, marking the first case of its kind in Taiwan and bringing the nation one step closer to full marriage equality, the city government said yesterday.
The gay couple, who got married five years ago in the US, completed the necessary procedures to register their marriage on Monday, the Kaohsiung Civil Affairs Bureau said in a statement.
The Mainland Affairs Council, which handles relations with China, relaxed related regulations last month to allow Taiwanese-Chinese same-sex couples married in a third nation to register their marriage under the same rules that allow heterosexual couples to do so.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Government
Same-sex applicants must submit a third-country marriage certificate notarized by an overseas representative office and be interviewed by the National Immigration Agency before registering their marriage at a local household registration office, the council said.
Regarding the definition of a third country, the authorities said it refers to about 35 states that recognize same-sex marriage, including the US, the UK, Canada and Australia.
The current rule for Taiwanese-Chinese heterosexual spouses to legalize their marriage in Taiwan requires them to marry in China or a third country before following the same procedure.
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Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
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