Mainland China IDs may mean loss of job, Taiwanese status, Taipei warns public

Taiwan on Monday warned government employees and the wider public against obtaining mainland Chinese identification documents, stating that violators could lose Taiwanese citizenship and be disqualified from civil or military service.

The announcement is part of a wider effort by the William Lai Ching-te administration to counter what it describes as “mounting influence operations” from Beijing, which it says pose an increasing threat to Taiwan’s security.

The warning came as Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior moved to enact new rules aimed at tightening control over those seeking to regain citizenship after acquiring mainland Chinese household registration or identity documents.

Government agencies are also reinforcing vetting procedures for public servants and investigating entertainers with perceived ties to the mainland propaganda machine.

Under the amended “Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area”, Taiwanese who obtain mainland Chinese citizenship – or documents such as a mainland resident ID – would automatically lose their Taiwanese status and be barred from holding public office or serving in the armed forces.

  

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