Taiwan Tightens Rules for Chinese Nationals Seeking Public Office, Citing National Security

Taiwan's Central Election Commission has officially announced a new requirement: individuals with Chinese citizenship must provide proof of renouncing their mainland Chinese nationality for over 10 years before they can register as candidates for public office. This significant policy shift comes in the wake of several controversies involving candidates with Chinese residency, notably former New Power Party new resident committee chair Hsu Chun-ying and legislator Li Chen-hsiu.

Hsu Chun-ying, who married into Taiwan in 1993 and obtained Taiwanese citizenship in 2000, remains a Chinese national. She was recently sentenced to seven years in prison for violating the "anti-infiltration law." Investigations revealed she allegedly relayed Taiwanese political and public opinion information to Chinese authorities. Consequently, the "Cross-Strait Marriage Family Service Alliance," which she heads, faces dissolution by the Ministry of the Interior.

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Given the many controversies surrounding Chinese spouses holding public office due to household registration issues, the Central Election Commission officially announced in July that Chinese nationals must provide proof of renouncing their original nationality for 10 years before they can run for election.

Li Chen-hsiu, formerly nominated by the Taiwan People's Party, was expelled from the party in April, losing her legislative qualification due to residency issues. The Mainland Affairs Council clarified that Article 21 of the "Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area" requires Chinese nationals to have resided in Taiwan for 10 years after officially renouncing their mainland household registration to be eligible for candidacy.

Lawmakers are also pushing for further legislative changes. Proposals by Democratic Progressive Party legislators include amending the "Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area" to mandate that Chinese nationals residing in Taiwan for 10 years must submit proof of renounced citizenship. This would bar them from running for office, holding civil service or state-owned enterprise positions, or forming political parties. Similar amendments are proposed for Hong Kong and Macau residents under the "Statute Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau."

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The investigation found that Sun Xian, deputy director of the "Homeland Peace and Unification Promotion Committee" under the United Front Work Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese People, instructed Hsu Chun-ying to use her work serving cross-strait families as a pretext to report on Taiwan's political and election situations and the daily activities of the Chinese spouse community to the CCP.