Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators have proposed a bill that would ban Chinese who obtain Taiwanese citizenship from running for office if they fail to produce documents showing that they have renounced their Chinese nationality.
DPP legislators Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) proposed the bill to amend the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) following media reports that the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) considered nominating Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) — a Chinese immigrant who has lived in Taiwan for 30 years and obtained Republic of China citizenship through marriage 23 years ago — for its legislators-at-large list.
The reported nomination of Xu, who chairs the Taiwan New Residents’ Development Association, caused a public uproar, as she has allegedly voiced support for unification with Taiwan and allegedly has not yet renounced her Chinese nationality.
Photo: Lin Liang-sheng, Taipei Times
The proposed amendment was submitted to the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee for review on Friday.
Currently, the act only requires Chinese nationals who have Taiwanese identification cards to cancel their household registrations in China and be registered with a household in Taiwan for more than 10 years before they are allowed to run for public office, without having to renounce their Chinese nationality, Wang and Lin said in their bill.
However, the Nationality Act (國籍法) requires those serving in public offices to hold only Taiwanese nationality as they are obligated to demonstrate loyalty to the country.
“The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area not only contravenes the constitutional principle of equality by treating Chinese and Taiwanese differently, it has reduced the loyalty requirement in the Nationality Act to an unenforceable law,” they said.
The legislators proposed that Chinese nationals with Taiwanese citizenship show proof that they have renounced their Chinese nationality before they are allowed to work in government or run for public office.
Wang and Lin also proposed an amendment to Article 16 of the Laws and Regulations Regarding Hong Kong and Macau Affairs (香港澳門關係條例) to require residents from the Chinese territories to show documents proving they have renounced their Chinese nationality before they can register as political candidates in Taiwan, form political parties and work in government, academic institutions and state-run business organizations.
The legislators said that Hong Kong and Macau have demonstrated major political, economic and social differences from Taiwan after returning to China’s governance.
Currently, residents from the territories who are permitted to enter Taiwan are allowed to register as candidates for public office, serve in the military and organize political parties if they have maintained a registered domicile in Taiwan for 10 years, while those who have entered Taiwan with permission must have a household registration for one full year before they can join the military, run for office or form political parties.
DPP Legislator Tang Hui-jane (湯蕙禎) also proposed an amendment to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area that would ban certain Chinese nationals from serving in the Taiwanese military or working in intelligence and defense agencies, including those who currently or previously worked for the Chinese government, Chinese news media or the Chinese Communist Party.
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS