The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday.
“We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.”
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) stipulates that Taiwanese are not allowed to have both Taiwanese and Chinese nationalities, Liang said.
Photo from Su Yu-cheng’s Facebook
“We would first look into how he was able to compete. If it was confirmed that he has Chinese nationality, we will cancel his Taiwanese nationality in accordance with the act,” he said.
Liang also reiterated the government’s position of welcoming Chinese tourists, after the council permitted 155 Chinese tourism officials and service operators to participate in the Summer Travel Expo in Taipei, which opens today.
The organizer of the expo began planning for the event in March, he said.
“From the council’s perspective, Chinese visitors are welcome to participate in trade shows and other business activities here, even though some members of the delegation are Chinese officials. Aside from the travel expo, they will visit scenic spots in Taiwan, which might help if they allow Chinese tourists to visit,” Liang said.
“Our goal remains that cross-strait exchange events should proceed in a healthy and orderly manner,” he said.
The position does not contradict the council’s decision to raise the travel advisory to China from “yellow” to “orange,” which means that people should avoid nonessential travel to the country, he said.
“It is the government’s responsibility to tell the people that there might be risks in traveling to certain countries due to wars, diseases and other issues,” he said. “People can evaluate the risks and decide for themselves.”
Meanwhile, the council has yet to receive applications from tour operators in China’s Fujian Province to organize tour groups to Lienchiang County after they scouted travel routes in the outlying islands last month, Liang added.
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