The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) would work with local governments to resist attempts by China to integrate them, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said today in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper).
To establish deeper ties with local governments and respond to China’s attempts to integrate Taiwan’s outlying islands, the MAC is discussing with the Kinmen County Government about a 17-point national security response strategy, Chiu said.
In March, President William Lai (賴清德) announced 17 strategies to counter Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to infiltrate Taiwan, Chiu said.
Photo: Chen Pin-yu, Taipei Times
China’s attempts to integrate the outlying islands are part of its “united front" strategy, he said.
China treats Kinmen residents as if they were its own citizens, purposefully blurring identity and undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty, Chiu said.
Since 2023, China has promoted Fujian as a “cross-strait integrated development demonstration zone” targeting Kinmen and Lienchiang County (Matsu), Chiu said.
Cross-strait exchanges should be used for “united front” tactics and must be de-risked to be straightforward and abide by the principle of mutual respect, Chiu added.
The MAC is to work with local governments to ensure exchanges do not work to integrate the islands into China and prevent the CCP’s infiltration, he said.
The MAC would also ensure that local governments understand regulations and avoid working on behalf of the Chinese government, such as distributing the “Fujian-Matsu city pass,” Chiu said, referring to a card launched by China’s Fujian Province which enables people in Matsu to receive discounts on transportation and other services in Fujian.
“Without permission from the central government, local governments cannot cooperate with the CCP, the Chinese government or its military,” he said.
According to Taiwan’s cross-strait regulations, an individual confirmed to have a Chinese identity card or residence permit would have their Taiwanese identity revoked, Chiu added.
The government completed the first wave of investigation into whether any military officers, civil servants or teachers hold Chinese ID cards at the end of April, Chiu said.
The investigation involved employees at 52 government agencies, including the five branches of the government, 209 public schools and the Ministry of National Defense, he said.
More than 370,000 people, which is equivalent to 99 percent, have handed in declarations stating that they do not have Chinese household registration, he said.
Two people were found to have a Chinese ID card, while 75 people were found to have a Chinese resident card, he said.
Civil servants are not supposed to be able to apply for a resident card in China, given that they would have to work and live in China for six months, he said.
It also involves the issue of loyalty and obligation, he said, as military officers, civil servants and teachers are supposed to be loyal to the Republic of China.
They should not have double loyalties, he said, adding that it is to be regulated in the future.
They should not apply for a Chinese identity card at the very least, he said.
The MAC plans to work with various agencies to gather opinions, consult with experts and announce to the public revised procedures and regulations, he added.
Chiu also said there is a possibility of expanding or strengthening regulations on civil servants and local government employees traveling to China.
The Legislative Yuan agrees that current laws are not clear enough in their restrictions, and so hopefully future amendments can address these issues and make the country safer, he said.
Additional reporting by Fion Khan
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