Pro-Taiwan NGOs oppose shorter naturalization process for Chinese spouses

Pro-Taiwan NGOs oppose shorter naturalization process for Chinese spouses

2024-03-12

A KMT bill proposal is calling for the naturalization process of Chinese spouses to be shortened from six years to four. Today, almost 300 people from pro-Taiwan NGOs got together to protest this proposed change, because they fear that Taiwan is following in the footsteps of Hong Kong. The DPP’s Huang Jie is proposing stricter naturalization requirements, which include an oath of allegiance to Taiwan.

Pro-Taiwan groups have slammed KMT proposal to shorten the naturalization process for Chinese spouses from six to four years. The New Party has dismissed the protests as discriminatory, but pro-Taiwan NGOs have fired back, saying that Chinese spouses are receiving preferential treatment.

Chen Li-fu
Taiwan Association of University Professors
Only in Taiwan can someone advocate for us to be fair and open to all countries, even enemies. Do these people have 40 to 50 years of special contributions to Taiwan? Here in Taiwan only people with special contributions can have dual citizenship. We need to be sure that these people will be loyal to our society, that they won’t betray Taiwan; if we can be absolutely sure of this, then we can start discussing about changing it from six years to four.

Lo Chun-hsuan
Taiwan Society North deputy head
Starting in 1997, Hong Kong has slowly taken in more Chinese. And now isn’t Hong Kong’s medical system on the brink of collapse? It takes one year and four months just to get an MRI done; there’s one year and eight month-waits for a CT scan. Would we be able to handle hardships like this?

Lo Chun-hsuan is worried that Taiwan is following in Hong Kong’s footsteps. From a medical perspective, he warns that the relatives of Chinese spouses can come over to use the resources of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system. Nearly 300 people from pro-Taiwan NGOs got together to protest legal changes that would allow China to dilute Taiwan’s population.

Lee Chuan-hsin
Taiwan Society head
These spouses don’t need to forfeit the citizenship of their own country, but people from all other countries need to do so, and these Chinese spouses don’t need to take a test. They can even enjoy the right to use the resources of our national health insurance system. And they can even bring their parents to live in Taiwan. Their children who are under the age of 12 can even come to live in Taiwan. This is a classic example of population cleansing.

In order to be fair, these pro-Taiwan NGOs are demanding that Chinese spouses be treated the same as spouses from other countries. As it so happens, DPP lawmaker Huang Jie has just proposed a bill that would require Chinese spouses to fulfill two requirements before they are allowed to naturalize.

Huang Jie
DPP lawmaker
A naturalization oath would be added as well as a naturalization test. The terms of this oath would have legal force. The legal consequences of this oath would mean that if you violate any part of the oath then your household registration would be revoked.

Huang pointed out that Chinese spouses should be required to swear an oath of allegiance to Taiwan before becoming naturalized. With pan-green and pan-blue lawmakers engaged in a battle of words over this proposed bill, Huang’s requirements reflect that both sides have different expectations for Chinese spouses.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53