TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) ruled Wednesday that TPP Legislator Lee Chen-hsiu (李貞秀) will continue serving as a lawmaker until authorities determine otherwise, after cross-party negotiations failed to reach a conclusion.
Han convened a party caucus negotiation to address questions surrounding Lee’s eligibility, per Storm Media. He invited Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正), and Central Election Commission Interim Chair Wu Jung-hui (吳容輝) to attend.
The meeting ended after about 40 minutes without consensus. Han said that because Lee has already taken the oath of office, she should be treated as a legislator unless legal or factual reviews determine otherwise.
Government officials raised concerns about Lee’s nationality and household registration status. Liu said the interior ministry has not received proof that Lee renounced her Chinese nationality, noting that under the Nationality Act, public officials are not allowed to hold dual nationality.
Chiu said Lee may have retained her household registration in China after obtaining permanent residence in Taiwan. He said Chinese individuals must cancel their Chinese household registration and live in Taiwan for at least 10 years before qualifying to serve as a legislator. He added that Lee did not submit documentation confirming revocation before 2025.
TPP Legislative Caucus Convener Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) disputed the government’s interpretation. Chen argued that under the Constitution, the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area should take precedence over the Nationality Act, per CNA. If the government insists on applying the nationality law instead, he said, it calls into question the Mainland Affairs Council‘s role in managing cross-strait affairs.
KMT Legislative Caucus Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) said the documents Lee submitted in 2025 prove her household registration had already been revoked, rather than constituting an application for revocation, per Newtalk. She added that if the ruling DPP believed existing procedures were inadequate, it should have addressed the issue before Lee took office.
Hsu also argued that under Taiwan’s constitutional framework governing cross-strait relations, Chinese people are not recognized as foreigners. She said that because Chiu acknowledged that no Chinese spouse has successfully renounced Chinese nationality, the government should not require Lee to complete what she described as an impossible process.
Chen also said political participation by China-born individuals was not controversial under former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), but had only become an issue under President Lai Ching-te (賴清德). He added that by the government’s reasoning, Defense Ministry Spokesperson Sun Li-fang (孫立方), who was born in China and moved to Taiwan in 1982, could also face scrutiny over Chinese nationality.
After the meeting, DPP lawmakers continued pressing Lee over the issue. DPP Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) said Lee wrote in her affidavit that she holds only R.O.C. nationality, raising the possibility she could face charges for causing public officials to make a false entry, per NOWNews.
DPP Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) said Lee’s alleged dual nationality could expose her to Chinese laws promoting unification, making her a potential target, per Mirror Media. She urged the legislature to revoke Lee’s lawmaker status for the safety of both Taiwan and Lee herself.
