The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said that it did not receive an application from Taikoo Motors Group to invite executives of BYD Co to travel to Taiwan, adding that it agrees with the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ position on scrutinizing imports of Chinese cars.
Taikoo is BYD’s official dealer in Taiwan.
The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker’s attempt to export EVs to Taiwan under the brand Denza via Thailand came under public scrutiny after Taikoo reportedly hosted a banquet at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Taipei, which was attended by Legislative Yuan General Affairs Department Director Liao Chiung-chih (廖炯志), and personnel of Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣).
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
Some Taiwanese media reported that Chinese BYD executives also attended.
“We did not find any such application from Taikoo. If BYD did send executives, they might not be Chinese nationals, which would not fall under our jurisdiction. However, they could be holding passports from the US and other countries. We need to look into that,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said.
Chinese EV makers are able to sell their products in overseas markets at far cheaper prices than those manufactured in advanced countries, due to huge amounts of government subsidies and overproduction, Liang said.
Importing Chinese EVs could have national security implications, as they could connect to the Internet and collect data, he added.
“We do not know where information would be stored and what they would do with the data,” Liang said. “Basically, we agree with the economic affairs ministry’s position that Chinese vehicles should be strictly scrutinized before being allowed entry, to safeguard national security, cybersecurity, automobile safety and industry order.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) also questioned Liang about the change the Ministry of the Interior proposed to the Regulations Governing Residency Permits for Mainland Chinese Citizens for Family Reunification in the Taiwan Area (大陸人民在台灣地區的依親居留許可辦法), which would require Chinese nationals seeking Taiwanese residency to prove that they do not have Chinese passports, asking how Chinese would be able to do so when the Constitution was written in a “one China” framework with two political entities.
Liang said that the proposal has nothing to do with Taiwanese independence.
The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Chinese nationals seeking to reside in Taiwan must provide proof of loss of original household registration and are not allowed to hold or use Chinese passports, he said.
While the former is enforced in most cases, the latter is difficult to enforce, as only 12 percent of Chinese have passports, he said.
When traveling across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese use the Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, while Chinese use the Mainland Resident Travel Permit to Taiwan, Liang said, adding that neither use passports.
The new regulations would require Chinese to submit proof that they do not have a Chinese passport, he said.
“If they cannot produce such proof, or they never had a Chinese passport, they would be required to sign an affidavit,” he added.
Asked if five Chinese who were elected as borough wardens or village chiefs could renounce their Chinese nationality by simply signing an affidavit, Liang said this issue involves two different regulations.
“The cross-strait act permits Chinese nationals to run for office if they have had house registration for 10 years or longer, while the Nationality Act (國籍法) requires elected officials to renounce their other nationalities within one year after they are elected. It does not matter what their other nationality is; they can only have one nationality: Taiwanese,” Liang said.
Hualien County’s Fuli Township (富里) chief Deng Wanhua (鄧萬華) was removed from her post on Friday last week for failing to renounce her Chinese citizenship.
She vowed to file an administrative appeal, saying that China does not allow Chinese spouses to renounce their nationality, and that the government’s requirement was unreasonable.
The cases of four other Chinese wardens would be handled based on the law, Liang said.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
RSS