Any proposed amendments to the Nationality Act (國籍法) that enable Chinese spouses to serve in public office must take into account the issue of loyalty, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
The council issued a response after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said it would propose an amendment to 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) that would exempt Chinese spouses married to Taiwanese from adhering to Article 20 of the Nationality Act.
The article requires elected officials to renounce other nationalities within a year after being elected.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The proposal was in response to the removal of Chinese spouse Deng Wanhua (鄧萬華) from her post as a warden in Hualien County, as she could not produce evidence that she had renounced her Chinese nationality.
Deng appealed the ruling to the Hualien County Government, which ruled in her favor.
However, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) on Tuesday said that the article leaves no room for interpretation.
MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) yesterday told a news conference that the core concept of Article 20 is that the nation’s elected officials can only pledge allegiance to one country, as conflicts of interest could emerge with dual nationalities.
The core issue of loyalty must be addressed in amendments to the Nationality Act, Liang said.
The KMT must also be concerned with the issue of loyalty, or it would not have suspended a Central Standing Committee member and Chinese spouse Ho Ying-lu (何鷹鷺), Liang said.
Ho wore clothes depicting Mao Zedong (毛澤東) and advocated for cross-strait unification on her channel on Douyin (抖音).
Elected officials with Taiwanese and Chinese nationalities could put the country at risk, as China’s National Security Law requires all citizens to cooperate with intelligence agencies, Liang said.
Moreover, naturalized citizens, including those from Hong Kong, Macau and China with Taiwanese citizenship, are banned from running for president or vice president, as per the Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法), Liang said.
“If the president and vice president are not allowed to pledge allegiance to two countries, why should legislators, mayors and county commissioners be exempt from the allegiance requirement?” Liang said.
“I hope these issues can be thoroughly deliberated at the legislature,” he added.
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