Taiwanese can file complaints with the Tourism Administration to report travel agencies if their activities caused termination of a person’s citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday, after a podcaster highlighted a case in which a person’s citizenship was canceled for receiving a single-use Chinese passport to enter Russia.
The council is aware of incidents in which people who signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of Russia were told they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, Chiu told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Taipei.
However, the travel agencies actually applied for single-use Chinese passports on their behalf, he said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Paragraph 4 of the Regulations on the Annulment of Citizenship and Residency of People Within the Taiwan Area (廢止臺灣地區人民身分及戶籍作業要點) stipulates that the National Immigration Agency (NIA) should, upon learning that a person has applied for or acquired a Chinese passport or citizenship, immediately notify the person’s household registration office and cancel their Taiwanese citizenship.
The office should also notify the person to return their national identification card and, if they are single, their household registration.
Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they can lose their resident status under Article 9-1 of 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).
If a person was unaware and unwittingly contravened the regulations because a travel agency submitted the application on their behalf, the person can report the agency to the Tourism Administration, Chiu said.
Restoration of citizenship would require those involved in the incident to submit a report to the NIA and file for restoration of citizenship under applicable laws, he said.
Travel and tourism podcaster Hua Yeh (花爺) on Friday last week said that some Chinese travel agencies say they could provide visas that guaranteed “quick passage” through Russian customs, but what they call visas are “one-time” Chinese passports.
Such incidents are rare.
The NIA said that according to the Regulations on Restoration of Taiwanese Citizenship to Chinese Citizens (在台原有戶籍大陸地區人民申請回復台灣地區人民身分許可辦法), one must have made significant contributions to Taiwan’s national defense, bolster the nation’s international image or have performed actions to help uphold the stability of Taiwanese society for their application to be considered.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
‘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
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
RSS