Fine for having a Chinese residence permit mulled

STRICTER RULES : The government is considering ways to better manage travel of those working or living in China, and scrutinize people who apply to migrate to Taiwan

The government is considering imposing a fine on Taiwanese who have Chinese residence permits, as part of efforts to deter Chinese cognitive warfare, a national security official said yesterday.

President William Lai (???) at a news conference on Friday, after his first high-level national security meeting of the year, said that the government has summed up an overall strategy for the next stage of advancing national security and development.

?To counter the threats to our national security from China?s ?united front? tactics, attempts at infiltration and cognitive warfare, we will continue with the reform of our legal framework for national security and expand the national security framework to boost societal resilience and foster unity within,? he said.

A security official familiar with cross-strait issues on condition of anonymity yesterday said that the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (????????) stipulates that the government can cancel ID cards and household registrations of those who have Chinese ID cards or Chinese passports, but the act has yet to regulate those holding Chinese residence permits.

An amendment to the act was proposed in 2018, which would require those holding Chinese residence permits to inform the government after receiving the documents, and those who fail to do so would be punished in accordance with the law. Those who work in agencies that handle national security affairs were banned from holding Chinese residence permits. However, the amendment was not approved by the Cabinet due to the elections and other factors.

The official yesterday said that Lai has instructed security officials to build a comprehensive national security network to counter China?s intensifying ?united front? work and infiltration campaign by reviewing regulations, infrastructure and other aspects.

To bolster national security laws, the government is considering proposing an amendment to punish those who apply for Chinese residence permits or ID cards, the official said, adding that it is also considering amending the administrative order to better manage the travel of those working or living in China.

Residents of Hong Kong and Macau who apply to migrate to or reside in Taiwan would also be under even closer scrutiny, as the two regions are increasingly integrated into China, the official said yesterday, adding that migrants from those areas could become channels to infiltrate Taiwan and become national security loopholes.

(www.taipeitimes.com)