A Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker has proposed an amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six.
KMT Legislator Yu Hao (游顥) said all foreign spouses who come to live in Taiwan are putting down roots and raising children, which bolsters the population and contributes to cultural exchanges.
“We should see the positive impact of foreign spouses and not see it in political terms. Although they are all from other countries, Chinese spouses take longer to become citizens. This is discrimination,” Yu said.
Photo: Lin Liang-sheng, Taipei Times
“On the principle of equality for all citizens under the Constitution, we should apply the same statutes under the Immigration Act [入出國及移民法] to Chinese spouses and spouses from other countries,” he said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said the proposed amendment would result in a severe national security crisis, as Chinese spouses could collude with Beijing to alter Taiwan’s demographic composition.
The Chinese government has used such a “population restocking” strategy to suppress Tibetans and Uighurs in their home regions, shifting the demographic balance and political and economic power in favor of Chinese, she said, adding that the ploy is now aimed at Taiwan.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Mach Ngoc Tran (麥玉珍), who is originally from Vietnam and acquired Taiwanese citizenship through marriage, had last year tried to reduce the period required to acquire Taiwanese citizenship through “underhanded” means by proposing amendments to the New Immigrants Basic Act (新住民基本法), Wu said.
Mach used the situation of Southeast Asian spouses to justify shortening the waiting period for Chinese to four years, but the DPP caucus blocked it from proceeding, she said.
“In reality, the conditions for spouses from other countries are far more strict,” she said.
Chinese spouses do not have to take a qualification exam and do not need to give up their citizenship, which is required for spouses from other countries. Conditions for those coming from China are already very lenient and favorable,” Wu said.
“Spouses of other countries must stay [in Taiwan] at least 138 days per year to be qualified and it would take eight years for them to obtain citizenship, while Chinese spouses only need six years,” she said.
“If Chinese spouses can support Taiwan’s social culture, rule of law and democratic framework, and are willing to take the qualification exam and give up their Chinese citizenship, we would be open to discussing changes,” she added.
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
A man walks past elementary school artworks at the Taipei Lantern Festival in Ximen District yesterday, the first day of the event. The festival is to run from 5pm to 10pm through March 15.
RSS