Military personnel, government workers and public-school teachers are prohibited from having Chinese residency permits, as Beijing aims to weaken Taiwan’s sovereignty and confuse people’s Taiwanese identity, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said.
Chiu made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Wednesday.
The council surveyed military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers to determine if they hold Chinese passports, ID cards or residency permits after some were found possessing such documents, requiring them to sign an affidavit verifying their claims.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Some teachers questioned the legitimacy of the council’s move, given that 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) does not specifically say that Taiwanese public workers are banned from holding Chinese permits.
According to Article 9-1 of the Act, the people of the Taiwan Area may not have household registrations or hold passports issued by the Mainland Area, except for the situations deemed necessary by the authorities. Who in violation of the provisions shall be deprived of its status as the people of the Taiwan Area.
Chiu said that since 2018, Beijing has regarded Taiwanese as citizens of the People’s Republic of China and implemented measures designed to integrate Taiwan into its social and economic systems.
Beijing seeks to confuse Taiwanese about their identity and negate the sovereignty of Taiwan, Chiu said, adding that these are key reasons the government is taking the issue seriously.
The survey of military personnel, government workers and public-school teachers is not intended to punish those holding Chinese residency permits, but rather to understand how they were able to obtain them, Chiu said.
Immigration laws in China require residency permit applicants to have worked in China, had jobs and participated in the social insurance systems there for at least six months before they can file applications, Chiu said.
“One would wonder how a Taiwanese government worker was able to stay at least six months in China and participate in its social insurance system,” Chiu said. “If they were able to do so, it indicates major oversight by the recruiting agencies and loopholes in our government’s regulations.”
It is possible that some had received Chinese residency permits before becoming government employees, but it is almost impossible for any current employee to have obtained Chinese residency permits, he said.
Designs of Chinese residency permits and Chinese ID cards are very similar, which could easily confuse people, Chiu said.
The government is also on high alert to prevent government workers, military personnel and public-school teachers from obtaining Chinese residency permits, especially after authorities in China’s Fujian Province reportedly issued residency permits to Taiwanese tourists alongside travel permits without requiring the six-month residency period.
Government workers who have Chinese residency permits have three months to voluntarily relinquish them, Chiu said, adding that government assistance is available for those who face difficulties doing so.
Given the rising threat from China, the council might again propose an amendment to the cross-strait act to prevent individuals in the private sector from obtaining Chinese permits, after a previous attempt failed in 2018, Chiu said.
More than 10 Taiwanese from the private sector have had their Taiwanese household registrations revoked after being found to have Chinese ID cards, he said.
A total of 676 people have had their Taiwanese nationality revoked in the past 10 years, government data showed.
The Tourism Administration has instructed travel agencies to comply with the Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例) and Regulations Governing Travel Agencies (旅行業管理規則), which prohibit them from applying for Chinese ID or residence on behalf of Taiwanese, Chiu said.
Travel agencies advertising such service would also be contravening the cross-strait act, he added.
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