Citizens of Taiwan face potential loss of citizenship due to acquisition of "border tourism passports" issued by China: MAC (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Here's the revised and restructured version of the article:
Scoop: Holding a 'Border Tourism Passport' from China Could Cost You Your Taiwanese Citizenship
(Staff Write-up with CNA)
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has made it clear: Taiwanese citizens who possess or have held a "border tourism passport" issued by China will lose their "Taiwan status" and citizenship. The MAC regards this act as a violation of the cross-strait law.
In 2017, a Taiwanese individual applied for a three-month "border tourism passport" from China to travel the China-Russia border region. By the time the MAC found out, the passport had expired. Although the validity period had passed, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh remarked that the individual's action was, from their perspective, already a breach of the law, leading to the loss of "Taiwan status."
Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese citizens cannot have household registrations in the Mainland Area or hold passports issued by the Mainland Area. Individuals who disregard this provision will lose their "Taiwan status," which includes their citizenship, households registration, and civil rights, as per the MAC.
This is the first time the MAC has highlighted that holding or having held a "border tourism passport" will also result in losing "Taiwan status." The full name of this passport is the "People's Republic of China Exit and Entry Permit (for border tourism use)."
Issued by China's National Immigration Administration or designated public security bureau offices, the "border tourism passport" is a single-entry, three-month travel document given to Chinese citizens participating in government-approved border tourism programs.
A source revealed that certain border ports between China and Russia offer a service that allows Taiwanese tourists to apply for a one-time "border tourism passport" to travel to Russia, as the application fee is considerably lower than that of a Russian visa for Taiwanese travelers.
In Liang's opinion, if a Taiwanese individual is found to have an expired regular Chinese passport (valid for 10 years), they cannot argue that the passport's expiration nullifies the violation of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. From the Taiwanese government's stance, the expiration date of the Chinese passport doesn't matter—it still signifies a breach of the law.
The reason for this strict stance is that the use of a "border tourism passport" implies recognition of the Chinese government's authority over Taiwan, which contradicts Taiwan's legal framework that generally prohibits dual identity status. Taiwanese citizens are expected to choose between their Taiwanese and other nationalities. As a result, Taiwanese citizens who obtain or hold a "border tourism passport" could potentially risk losing their Taiwanese citizenship since it indicates recognition of Chinese jurisdiction over Taiwan.
- The escalating politics surrounding cross-strait relations have led to a firm policy-and-legislation stance by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) that Taiwanese citizens who possess or have held a "border tourism passport" issued by China will automatically forfeit their "Taiwan status" and citizenship, as such action amounts to a violation of the cross-strait law.
- The general news media continues to report on the complexities of the Taiwanese citizenship issue, with the recent development being the MAC's clarification that holding or having held a "border tourism passport" from China, despite its expiration, still results in the loss of "Taiwan status," signifying the sensitivity of politics pertaining to policy-and-legislation regarding cross-strait relations.
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