Taiwan Issues Warning Over China’s Push to Grant Local IDs and Citizenship to Taiwanese

Concerns are growing among Taiwanese authorities as China ramps up efforts to issue residency cards or local identification to Taiwanese visitors.

The Financial Times (FT) cited Taiwanese government officials in a report on Monday. The Chinese government has been actively issuing what they call “three types of documents”—residency cards, bank accounts, and local phone numbers—to Taiwanese visitors. The troubling part is that many of these individuals receive local ID cards, typically only issued to citizens. The Taiwanese government believes that China is using the issuance of these three types of documents as a strategy to incorporate Taiwanese people into Chinese citizens gradually and is monitoring the situation closely.

A senior Taiwanese official expressed concerns that if more Taiwanese citizens acquire Chinese citizenship, it could undermine Taiwan’s jurisdiction. They explained that if a Taiwanese person holding a Chinese ID becomes involved in an incident in Taiwan, China might claim them as their citizen and intervene in Taiwan’s domestic affairs.

Russia has previously employed similar tactics against neighboring countries. They issued passports to Ukrainians who moved to Russia after instigating conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014. They also granted citizenship to residents of separatist regions in Georgia, using their protection as a pretext for the 2008 war.

One of the three types of documents in question, the “Taiwanese Resident Card,” differs from Chinese citizenship. China describes it as a preferential measure that allows Taiwanese people to access local services equally. Taiwanese authorities argue that it serves as a pathway to citizenship. In some cases, local ID cards are provided directly instead of residency cards, and in some reports, having a local ID allows for better terms when applying for loans or purchasing homes.

According to Taiwanese law, citizens who receive Chinese ID cards have their Taiwanese household registration canceled; however, it has become challenging for Taiwan to monitor its citizens’ activities within China effectively. China has nearly severed official communication with the Taiwanese government, and the cross-strait travel, trade, and investment have continued for decades. Taiwanese government statistics reveal that as of 2023, 217,000 Taiwanese people work in China. Although this figure is half of the peak level from ten years ago, it represents a 22% increase compared to the previous year.

As China intensifies its multifaceted pressure on Taiwan, the trending citizens raise further concerns. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and threatens to use military force if Taiwan indefinitely refuses reunification.

Taiwan’s President, Lai Ching-te, warned in a recent New Year’s address that the short-term benefits of Chinese ID cards should not sway the public. He remarked that in Taiwan, there is a saying that ‘free things are often the most expensive,’ it is absurd for citizens of a democratic country to accept a Chinese ID at this point, as it could jeopardize their path to global engagement.