Taiwan should show the value it places on human rights by treating Chinese spouses and students living in the nation fairly, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday.
Wang said that while Taiwan repeatedly urges China to value human rights, Taiwan needs to treat Chinese spouses and students living in Taiwan in an equitable way.
The government wants to balance the rights of foreign and Chinese spouses in Taiwan, he said during a public hearing at the legislature for two proposed bills related to the rights of Chinese spouses.
The council is seeking to amend Article 17 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to shorten from six years to four the length of time Chinese spouses of Taiwanese nationals must wait before they can obtain Republic of China citizenship.
“I will continue to push for the passage of the bill as long as I remain mainland affairs minister,” Wang said.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union, meanwhile, has proposed amending Article 21 of the same act to limit the rights of Chinese spouses to engage in politics in Taiwan, even after they become citizens.
Zhan Xiuying (湛秀英), head of an immigrant group in Greater Kaohsiung, urged political parties not to “see Chinese spouses from a political point of view.”
“Chinese spouses are not enemies or people from an enemy country. They are the daughters-in-law, wives and mothers of Taiwanese,” she said, adding that giving Chinese spouses their rightful status is the “best way to educate the next generation.”
Wang Zhin-sheng (王智盛), an assistant professor at National Quemoy University’s Department of Ocean and Border Governance, said the issue of whether to shorten the time Chinese spouses must wait to obtain citizenship should be considered on the basis of the nation’s overall immigration policy.
He said Taiwan could establish a strict evaluation process, but once the nation permitted Chinese to marry Taiwanese and live in Taiwan, they were entitled to the same rights as other foreign spouses.
Bruce Liao (廖元豪), an associate professor at National Chengchi University’s College of Law, said not all Chinese spouses support the same Taiwanese political party and that fair treatment is one of the first steps for political parties to win the recognition of Chinese spouses.
However, Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), a professor at Tamkang University’s Department of Public Administration, said that most countries design their immigration policies taking into consideration their unique national conditions.
China is an enemy country and has never renounced its ambition to take over Taiwan, he said, adding that Taiwan needs to remain alert.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
Unlike most countries, Taiwan cannot use its country’s own name to compete in the Olympic Games or other major international sports events. Instead, it participates under the name “Chinese Taipei,” a name that causes confusion and sparks curiosity among many people, including an American director who explored the topic in his new documentary. Garret Clarke, the director of the 20-minute documentary What’s in a Name? A Chinese Taipei Story, said in an recent media interview said that he was motivated to make the documentary because he finds the name “Chinese Taipei” to be “weird.” The dispute that eventually created the name dates back
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to