Military personnel, government employees, and public-school teachers are barred from holding Chinese residency permits, as Beijing continues efforts to undermine Taiwan's sovereignty and blur Taiwanese identity, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-Cheng said.
In an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (sister publication of the Taipei Times), Mr Chiu said the council had conducted a review of these groups to identify whether any held Chinese passports, identification cards, or residency permits. Individuals found with such documents were required to sign an affidavit confirming their status.
Some teachers have questioned the legality of the MAC’s actions, pointing out that the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area does not explicitly prohibit Taiwanese public-sector employees from holding Chinese residency permits.
Article 9-1 of the Act states that people of the Taiwan Area are not allowed to have household registrations or possess passports issued by the Mainland Area, unless deemed necessary by the relevant authorities. Those who violate this provision may be stripped of their status as Taiwan nationals.
Mr Chiu said that since 2018, Beijing has treated Taiwanese citizens as citizens of the People’s Republic of China and introduced measures aimed at integrating Taiwan into its social and economic systems.
These moves are designed to blur the lines of Taiwanese identity and erode the nation's sovereignty, Chiu said, adding that this is why the government is approaching the issue with urgency.
He clarified that the current survey of military personnel, civil servants, and public-school teachers is not intended to penalise those found holding Chinese residency permits. Instead, the goal is to understand how these individuals were able to obtain them.
According to Mr Chiu, Chinese immigration law requires residency permit applicants to have lived and worked in China, held jobs, and participated in the country’s social insurance system for at least six months before becoming eligible to apply.
Government workers who have Chinese residency permits have three months to voluntarily relinquish them, Mr Chiu said, adding that government assistance is available for those who face difficulties doing so.