Statistics from the National Immigration Agency (NIA) suggest that while Chinese now enjoy facilitated travel to Taiwan, criminal activities perpetrated by the Chinese have also remained high, and officials are hard-pressed to keep tabs on every Chinese visitor entering the country.
More than 700 Chinese are on a list for overstaying their visa, and 211 of them may be involved in illegal activities, the agency said, adding that these were only the numbers officially recorded.
The actual numbers could be as high as 1,000 Chinese overstays, it added.
Of the 211 members not eligible for visa extension and that were suspected criminals, 60 came over on a professional visa, 38 on business, 66 on tourism and 47 medical checkups.
They disappeared shortly after entering the country, the agency said, adding that they may currently be either working at part-time jobs or may be involved in prostitution or fraud.
Some may be gathering intelligence and pose a severe national security risk, it added.
The other 573 Chinese overstaying their visas, but still within the timeframe of extending their visas, would be notified by officials, the agency said, adding that it was hard to say whether those visitors have simply forgot to extend their visas or were also involved in illegal activities.
With the variety of methods available to Chinese to enter Taiwan, the agency said human trafficking has decreased over the years.
In 1992, the government repatriated nearly 2,000 Chinese who illegally entered the country, and in 1993 the numbers climbed as high as 6,000, the agency said.
However, since 2006, the numbers have seen a decrease, with only 53 repatriated in 2011, 17 in 2012 and 21 in last year up to November last year, the agency said.
The decreasing numbers of repatriated Chinese does not necessarily reflect a decrease in illegal activities perpetrated by Chinese, but could simply mean they have more legitimate ways of entering Taiwan, the agency said.
Chinese may now enter for medical, tourism and business purposes, which is opening a lot of doors for those who want to exploit the system, the agency said.
Taiwan can only process Chinese requests to enter Taiwan based according to the information they have submitted, as accessing Chinese household registration or criminal data was difficult, it said.
It cited Ding Zhongtao (丁仲桃), a Chinese arrested for fraud in June last year, as an example.
Ding entered the country for a medical checkup, and it was not until his arrest in June that authorities realized he already had a criminal file in China, the agency said.
Officials said in private that they were concerned about the growing channels of entry available to Chinese, the shortage of manpower and lack of ancillary systems to keep tabs on their entry, adding that it had the potential to become a major problem.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
ACTION PLAN: Taiwan would expand procurement from the US and encourage more companies to invest in the US to deepen bilateral cooperation, Lai said The government would not impose reciprocal tariffs in retaliation against US levies, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he announced five strategies to address the issue, including pledging to increase Taiwanese companies’ investments in the US. Lai has in the past few days met with administrative and national security officials, as well as representatives from various industries, to explore countermeasures after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday last week announced a 32 percent duty on Taiwanese imports. In a video released yesterday evening, Lai said that Taiwan would not retaliate against the US with higher tariffs and Taiwanese companies’ commitments to
‘SPECIAL CHANNEL’: Taipei’s most important tasks are to stabilize industries affected by Trump’s trade tariffs and keep negotiations with Washington open, a source said National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) arrived in the US for talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. Wu was leading a delegation for a meeting known as the “special channel,” the Financial Times reported earlier. It marked Trump’s first use of the channel since returning to the White House on Jan. 20. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was also a part of the delegation. The visit came days after China concluded war games around Taiwan and amid Trump’s
CHIP EXCEPTION: An official said that an exception for Taiwanese semiconductors would have a limited effect, as most are packaged in third nations before being sold The Executive Yuan yesterday decried US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods announced hours earlier as “unfair,” saying it would lodge a representation with Washington. The Cabinet in a statement described the pledged US tariffs, expected to take effect on Wednesday next week, as “deeply unreasonable” and “highly regrettable.” Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said that the government would “lodge a solemn representation” with the US Trade Representative and continue negotiating with Washington to “ensure the interests of our nation and industries.” Trump at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on most goods
RSS