TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said Wednesday that her ministry plans to restrict TPP at-large lawmaker Lee Chen-hsiu’s (李貞秀) access to classified documents in accordance with ministry regulations.
Citing the Nationality Act, Liu said Lee cannot serve as a public representative while holding dual nationality, per Tai Sounds. She said the ministry is acting strictly in line with the law and added that she has not yet discussed with the Cabinet whether to adopt similar policies.
Addressing Lee’s attempt to renounce her Chinese nationality, Liu questioned the authenticity of documents Lee showcased and said the government would not assist her in the forfeiture process, per CNA. On the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Liu said the law concerns eligibility to run for office, while the Nationality Act governs whether an individual may assume office after being elected.
The TPP criticized the government’s position, arguing that Lee is not considered a foreign national under the Constitution. TPP Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that if Chinese spouses are not legally treated as foreigners, the government cannot logically require them to renounce a “foreign” nationality, per NOWNews.
Ko urged the government to clearly explain how Lee should proceed, saying contradictory signals from the Central Election Commission and its supervising authority, the Interior Ministry, have created confusion. TPP at-large lawmaker Chen Chao-tzu (陳昭姿) echoed Ko’s criticism, saying the DPP should have amended the Constitution when it held a legislative majority rather than raising objections after Lee was set to assume office, per Newtalk.
Chen also questioned whether the Interior Ministry has the authority to deny sworn-in lawmakers access to official documents and said the issue should be reviewed by the Constitutional Court. She urged the government to revisit constitutional principles if it insists on treating Chinese nationality as foreign.
Ko’s remarks followed comments by Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), who urged Lee to make every effort to renounce her Chinese nationality, per Tai Sounds. Chiu said the MAC had informed the Interior Ministry of potential obstacles Lee might face, but the ministry nevertheless chose to apply the Nationality Act.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) also weighed in, asserting that “the mainland and Taiwan are part of one China.” He accused the DPP of pursuing “Taiwan independence” and discriminating against Chinese spouses in Taiwan.
Within the DPP, lawmaker Wang Shih-chien (王世堅) called on the government to adopt a more flexible approach, per UDN. He said many Chinese spouses have lived in Taiwan for more than a decade and have effectively severed ties with China.
Wang argued that if the government believed Chinese spouses should not serve as lawmakers, they should not have been allowed to run in the first place. He suggested that while rules could be revised in the future, those already elected should be accommodated. Wang added that accepting Lee would demonstrate Taiwan’s democratic diversity.
Former DPP lawmaker Lin Cho-shui (林濁水) proposed an alternative solution, urging the party to formally recognize Lee’s attempt to renounce her Chinese nationality, per Liberty Times. He added that the DPP should incorporate renunciation requirements into the swearing-in process for lawmakers holding Chinese nationality in the future.
Lin said that if the KMT and TPP were to block such amendments, it would highlight their distance from what he described as Taiwan’s political consensus.
