TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) on Friday proposed an amendment to the Nationality Act that would exempt Chinese nationals from having to renounce their original nationality before becoming civil servants or elected officials.
Fu argued the Nationality Act does not specify how it applies to individuals from the “mainland area,” potentially encroaching on the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, per CNA. The latter already outlines the conditions Chinese immigrants must meet to obtain the right to hold public office.
The move reportedly aims to prevent Chinese spouses who win elected office from losing their positions due to nationality issues.
The DPP sharply criticized the proposal. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) raised concerns about dual allegiance, per CNA. The DPP caucus argued that because the state requires loyalty from public servants, they must hold only Taiwan nationality, per Mirror Media.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) warned the amendment could create unnecessary suspicion toward Chinese immigrants, per Tai Sounds. Mainland Affairs Council Spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) echoed Lai’s concerns, noting that under Chinese law, Chinese spouses may be required to assist in Beijing’s infiltration efforts, per Newtalk.
DPP caucus director Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) accused the KMT of “inviting hostile forces” into Taiwan’s government, per UDN. The Ministry of the Interior added that China is officially classified as a “hostile foreign force.”
The KMT pushed back, pointing out that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) previously petitioned to remove the requirement that public servants renounce all non-Taiwan nationalities.
When asked on Tuesday, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said public servants should hold only Taiwan nationality, per Newtalk. Fu countered that Lu’s stance aligns with KMT policy, insisting the amendment would not grant eligibility to Chinese nationals directly, but only to those who have been Taiwanese citizens for more than 10 years, as already allowed under current law, per Liberty Times.
Meanwhile, Academia Sinica researcher Shaw Yung-djong (邵允鍾) criticized the Interior Ministry for attempting to apply the Nationality Act to Chinese nationals, per Newtalk. He said that under the “special state-to-state theory” people from China require a dedicated legal framework because they are considered “special foreigners.”
Shaw said retaining terms such as “free area” and “mainland area” is unfortunate from a Taiwan-centric perspective, and he called treating Chinese nationals as people with “mainland area household registration” an absurd legal fiction. However, he argued that the fiction plays a stabilizing role in Taiwan’s political system, where national identity varies widely.
Shaw warned that forcing nationality rules onto “people of the mainland area” serves only to appeal to the Taiwan faction. He added that the KMT could easily accuse the government of violating the law.
The KMT has, in fact, accused the central government of attempting to override the Constitution through the Nationality Act, per ETtoday. KMT Spokesperson Chiang Yi-chen (江怡臻) urged the DPP to amend existing laws — or the Constitution itself — if it believes the current legal framework is inadequate.
