TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) announced on Wednesday (Feb. 12) that it will require future volunteer military recruits to sign a declaration of non-dual nationality.
This measure aims to prevent incidents like the recent case involving a private in the Amphibious 168th Fleet (海軍168艦隊) who unknowingly held Chinese citizenship for 10 years.
The MND has reassigned the private, identified only by the surname Yang (楊), and restricted him from sensitive duties. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (調查局) recently discovered that Yang obtained a Chinese ID card through his mainland Chinese mother without his knowledge before enlisting, a fact the Navy Fleet Command later confirmed.
Major General Cheng Chia-chi (成家麒) highlighted that the "Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area" (兩岸人民關係條例) stipulates that individuals with household registration in mainland China lose the right to hold military or public office in Taiwan.
Vice Admiral Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) explained that Yang enlisted in April 2020 and later became a volunteer soldier, unaware of his Chinese citizenship.
The Navy Fleet Command has assisted Yang in expressing his intent to retain his Republic of China (Taiwan) nationality to the National Immigration Agency (NIA, 移民署). The agency and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會) are discussing subsequent steps.
Colonel Huang Ming-chun (黃銘君) emphasized that military recruitment guidelines clearly state that candidates must possess only Republic of China (Taiwan) nationality. Moving forward, the MND will introduce a declaration of non-dual nationality to ensure the singularity of military personnel's nationality.
