Starting next year, newly hired civil servants nationwide would be required to sign an affidavit affirming that they do not possess a Chinese identity card or residence permit, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, following the completion of a comprehensive survey of civil servants, teachers and military personnel.
The Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) on Wednesday reported that 27 people signed affidavits saying that they had Chinese residence permits and had renounced them in the second round of a survey targeting local government employees and public schoolteachers.
The report also said that military, civil and educational personnel who refuse to comply with the affidavit requirement would be ineligible for public office, promotion or rank advancement.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said that about 626,000 people signed the affidavit, accounting for 99.79 percent of government employees.
“We have completed the survey. In the future, the affidavit requirement would be administered by agency personnel offices, schools and the military when it involves promotion, job transfers and recruitment. Further details about the policy are to be announced when they are finalized,” Liang said.
Liang was asked to respond to a statement from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) on Wednesday that the so-called “Olympic Model” — a set of rules guiding Taiwan’s participation in international sporting competitions — must be “fully and accurately implemented.”
Chen said there should be no contradictions of the model in terms of the name, flag, anthem, emblem, materials, labels or slogans used by Taiwanese delegations.
Chen made the remarks after two Chinese at the World University Games in Germany last month reportedly attempted to snatch a congratulatory message sent from the Ministry of Education to taekwondo athletes Hung Jiun-yi (洪俊義), Jung Jiun-jie (鍾俊傑) and Huang Cho-cheng (黃卓乘), who won silver medals.
The Chinese alleged the message contravened the “Olympic Model” by mentioning the Republic of China and the minister of education.
“It is our customary practice that medal-winning athletes receive congratulatory messages from government officials. The messages would only circulate within the delegations to the Games, which does not contradict the so-called ‘Olympic Model’ that only applies to venues where sports take place,” Liang said.
China and Taiwan hold different interpretations of what constitutes the “Olympic Model,” he said.
“Bejing always seeks to expand application of the Olympic Model, which in their view includes a relay station set up for Taiwanese athletes in Germany, which the Sports Administration leased outside the Game venues. They demanded that our national flags in the relay station be removed,” Liang said.
Meanwhile, a Taiwanese Internet influencer reportedly told Chinese on Douyin (抖音) that they can travel in Taiwan for 15 days by a filing a frivolous lawsuit against Taiwanese, which he said was easier than applying for an entry permit.
Liang said that Chinese who have legal disputes in Taiwan would only be allowed to enter if Taiwanese courts determine that they need to be summoned for questioning, and they must present a subpoena and court hearing notice when applying for an entry permit.
Since last year, 89 Chinese have arrived because of civil and criminal lawsuits, he said.
“We have a well-established mechanism to review such requests. Those filing frivolous lawsuits to travel to Taiwan could face criminal charges,” Liang said.
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