The Ministry of the Interior has sent letters to district offices urging them to handle cases of borough chiefs with Chinese nationality in accordance with the law, the ministry said yesterday, while two Taiwanese in a recent video being shown to have a Chinese ID or assist other Taiwanese with obtaining one have been asked to provide an explanation.
There are five cases of borough chiefs with Chinese nationality, which should be handled in accordance with the Nationality Act (國籍法) or Household Registration Act (戶籍法), Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said yesterday.
According to Article 9 of the Act Governing the Relations Between the People of Taiwan and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), citizens of Taiwan are not allowed to have mainland passports or household registration and violators would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Only 679 people have lost their Taiwanese citizenship in this manner in the last decade, according to MAC statistics.
There are benefits for Chinese spouses of Taiwanese nationals upon settling in Taiwan, but to participate in politics they must hold only Taiwanese citizenship, Liu said.
Since it takes time to renounce citizenship, there is a one-year grace period after being elected, she said.
However, many people do not comply with this regulation, leading to them being removed from elected positions, she said.
This happened to former Nantou County councilor Shi Xueyan (史雪燕), who was dismissed by the ministry for violating the Nationality Act.
When Shi was appointed as county councilor in 2021, she signed a declaration of allegiance to the Taiwanese constitution, but failed to renounce her Chinese nationality within one year, Liu said.
Notices regarding this requirement were sent to all cities and counties in 2009 and again this year, she said.
The ministry dismissed Shi according to the law, without tailoring the case to any individual or engaging in political maneuvering, Liu said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator who accompanied Shi to a press conference cited the wrong legal sources, she said.
The ministry adheres to administrative regulations in enforcing the Act Governing the Relations Between the People of Taiwan and the Mainland Area, Nationality Act and Household Registration Act and has not made any amendments to them, she added.
The KMT caucus has accused the government of stripping 300,000 Chinese spouses of their political participation rights and unconstitutionally enforcing a new “two-state theory.”
All people from mainland China are also nationals of Taiwan, KMT Legislator Weng Hsiao-lin (翁曉玲) said.
The revocation of public office has nothing to do with the “two-state theory” and Wang’s remarks reflect the past mistakes of many agencies, Liang said.
A recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) revealed that a Taiwanese Lin Jincheng (林金城) has been assisting Taiwanese with Chinese ID applications.
Another Taiwanese individual, Su Shien (蘇士恩) displayed a Chinese ID card in the video.
The ministry has requested these two individuals to provide an explanation within 10 days otherwise their Taiwanese ID card may be revoked, Liu said.
Lin, who is wanted for fraud in Taiwan, said in the video that 200,000 people have already obtained Chinese ID cards without needing to give up their Taiwanese ID cards and some have been able to take out bank loans.
Relevant authorities are investigating whether this is true, as it could indicate that local Chinese officials are violating the law and colluding with banks to carry out fraudulent loans, Liang said.
It is uncertain whether Beijing is aware of this activity or has tacitly allowed it, he said.
MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) today said persuading Taiwanese to apply for Chinese ID cards is one of China’s “united front tactics” which is an attempt to create the illusion that Beijing rules Taiwan.
When asked about whether the number of Taiwanese nationals holding Chinese ID cards mentioned in the video is correct, Chiu said the government “is not sure” but would handle the matter cautiously.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called for the public not to hand over their personal information to China in a press conference today.
The whereabouts of the holders of the new version of the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Resident, also known as the Taiwan Compatriot Permit, could be exposed to the Chinese authorities, and those going to China could be under surveillance, DPP China Affairs Director Wu Jun-zhi (吳峻鋕) said.
Taiwanese who apply for a resident permit in China have to provide their fingerprint and facial recognition, which is equivalent to offering sensitive biological information to the authorities, DPP legislator Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) said.
Wu said there is a possibility that China is learning from the Ukraine war, turning Taiwanese into Chinese nationals and using this as an excuse to wage war on Taiwan in the future.
When asked about the interior ministry’s action, TPP Acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said President William Lai (賴清德) is not enforcing a “two-state theory” because promoting Taiwan independence is just a campaign strategy for him.
Former Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) and Liu offered inconsistent statements regarding the legal status of China and Taiwan, Huang said, accusing the ruling DPP of using the law as a tool to conduct political struggles.
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