TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Macau has made concessions on the visa deadline issue for Taiwanese employees at the country’s representative office, making sure it can continue to function as usual beyond Oct. 30, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday (Oct. 6).

The three Taiwanese officials working in Macau were supposed to renew their visas by the end of this month at the latest, but a likely demand by the Chinese territory that the employees sign a declaration pledging support for Beijing’s “One China” principle might make the renewal almost impossible.

However, MAC Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) told lawmakers Thursday that progress had been made on the visa issue, with Macau giving the three staff members “a new validity period,” CNA reported.

The staff at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office were basically following the visa regulations prevalent in Macau, he said. Prodded by legislators about the “One China” pledge, Chiu added that the former Portuguese territory had not demanded them to sign anything, and that two of the officials had already received their visa extensions.

In May and June 2021 respectively, Hong Kong and Macau shuttered their representative offices in Taiwan without offering clear explanations, though analysts suspected the government in Beijing was behind the moves.