TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會) on Wednesday (Feb. 26) announced plans to amend 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), addressing concerns over Taiwanese citizens applying for residence permits in China. The council proposed changes, aiming to counteract attempts by China to blur the identities of people across the Taiwan Strait.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office (國台辦) criticized the proposed amendments during a routine press conference, calling them a significant challenge to cross-strait relations. The office accused Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) government of intentionally confusing the concepts of various permits to intimidate Taiwanese citizens.
Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), spokesperson of the MAC, highlighted last Thursday that since 2018, China has progressively relaxed the conditions for Taiwanese citizens to apply for residence permits. He emphasized the need for the government to respond to these developments. The council reiterated its stance, stating that China's efforts to recruit Taiwanese citizens to apply for residence permits through local collaborators are an apparent attempt to confuse identities across the strait.
