Taiwan Bans Civil Servants from Holding Chinese Identity Documents to Prevent CCP Confusion Between People on Both Sides of the Strait

Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council file photo. (Credit: Song Bilong /Dajiyuan)

[People News] Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) plans to amend the Cross-Strait Act to include regulations on Taiwanese citizens applying for residence permits in China. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Taiwan Affairs Office has described this move as a serious challenge to cross-strait relations. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Ministry of Civil Service has issued a notice to government agencies emphasizing that civil servants must not establish household registration in China, obtain Chinese identity documents, passports, or apply for residence permits or settlement certificates. They are also required to sign a declaration of compliance.

According to a report by Radio Free Asia, the MAC stated that in 2018, the CCP introduced a policy allowing Taiwanese citizens to apply for residence permits in China. To qualify, applicants must meet specific conditions, such as living in China for more than six months, having a legitimate job, or owning property. However, Taiwan has recently observed that the CCP has been loosening these requirements, prompting the Taiwanese government to take countermeasures.

Taiwan Affairs Office: A Serious Challenge to Cross-Strait Relations

At a press conference on Wednesday (26th), Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized the "DPP authorities" for deliberately confusing the concepts of the Taiwan Compatriot Certificate, residence permit, and other documents. She stated that "the purpose is to threaten and intimidate the people of Taiwan, and to interfere with and undermine the exchanges and interactions between the people on both sides of the Strait." She noted that they intend to use this confusion as an excuse to amend the Cross-Strait Regulations, which poses a serious challenge to cross-strait relations.

In a written response, the Mainland Affairs Council stated that the Chinese Communist Party is promoting the "integration of Taiwan" by recruiting local collaborators in Taiwan to attract the public to apply for residence permits and other identity documents through various promotional methods. The intent to confuse the identities of people on both sides of the Strait is evident, and a response is necessary.

According to a report by "Wind Media," the Taiwan Ministry of Civil Service recently sent a letter to various agencies, urging them to strengthen the promotion that individuals should not apply for residency, identity cards, passports, or residence permits in China. Employees are required to complete a declaration within two weeks for record-keeping.

"Loyalty to the country is a basic requirement for employment"

The Ministry of Civil Service issued a press release on Wednesday, stating that the Mainland Affairs Council had sent a letter to the Ministry of Civil Service and relevant authorities on February 11, clearly indicating that individuals from Taiwan who have household registration, identity cards, or passports in the mainland lose their rights to hold public office according to Article 9-1 of the Cross-Strait Regulations. This addition of a declaration stating that one does not have household registration, identity cards, or passports in the mainland is in compliance with the law, as per the Mainland Affairs Council's request.

The Ministry of Civil Service emphasized that loyalty to the country is fundamentally a basic requirement for employment. The Ministry will refer any public servants who violate this duty of loyalty to the relevant agencies for investigation and handling, and there is certainly no issue of expanding the interpretation of the Cross-Strait Regulations.