Beijing is attempting to exert the illusion of legal sovereignty over Taiwan by making it seem as though thousands of Taiwanese have applied for Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday.
In a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics, YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) interviewed Lin Jincheng (林金城), head of the Taiwan Youth Entrepreneurship Park in Quanzhou in China’s Fujian Province, who has been assisting Taiwanese with Chinese ID applications, and said that 200,000 Taiwanese had obtained the cards over the past decade.
Asked in a radio interview yesterday whether the number of Taiwanese holding Chinese ID cards mentioned in the video is correct, Chiu said that the government “is not sure,” but would handle the matter cautiously.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Over the past 10 years, 679 Taiwanese have had their household registration papers, ID cards and passports invalidated after they obtained a Chinese passport or household registration, he said.
In a rare release of official data from 2018, Beijing said that 22,000 Taiwanese had applied for household residence in China, Chiu said.
The minister cautioned Taiwanese against applying for Chinese ID cards, citing the lack of personal data protections in the country.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior on Thursday said it has sent letters to district offices urging them to handle cases of borough chiefs with Chinese nationality in accordance with the law.
There are five such cases, 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.
There are benefits for Chinese spouses of Taiwanese 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 contravening the Nationality Act.
When Shi became a county councilor in 2021, she signed a declaration of allegiance to the Constitution, but failed to renounce her Chinese nationality within one year, Liu said.
Notices regarding the requirement were sent to all cities and counties in 2009 and again this year, she said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (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 China are also nationals of Taiwan, KMT Legislator Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲) said.
The revocation of public office has nothing to do with the “two-state theory” and Weng’s remarks reflect the past mistakes of many agencies, MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said.
At a separate news conference yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) called on the public not to hand over their personal information to China.
Taiwanese who apply for a resident permit in China have to provide their fingerprint and facial recognition data, which is sensitive biological information, DPP Legislator Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) said.
DPP China Affairs Director Wu Jun-zhi (吳峻鋕) said there is a possibility that China is learning from the Ukraine war, turning Taiwanese into Chinese nationals to use this as an excuse to wage war on Taiwan in the future.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua, Kayleigh Madjar and CNA
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
SHIFT: Taiwan is evolving from a transit stop into a tourist destination, with more international travelers willing to spend on tours, dining and cultural activities Taiwan rose three places in the World Tourism Barometer to 36th globally in 2024, with international tourism revenue of US$10.028 billion, the Tourism Administration said on Monday. The UN Tourism Organization publication said that its focus has switched from whether a country has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels of tourism to the amount spent by a tourist during an overseas trip. The nation last year welcomed 8.57 million international tourists, about 9 percent more than in 2024, with most tourists coming from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau, all of which accounted for at least 1 million tourists each. During the first
RSS