Facing increasing military pressure from China and political fallout from the failed impeachment attempt against an opposition lawmaker, the Taiwanese government under President Lai Ching-te is intensifying its separation from China.
A series of moves—including requiring those settling in Taiwan to give up their mainland Chinese passports and banning current and former officials from attending Chinese military parades—is intensifying cross-strait tensions.
According to reports from Taiwan’s United Daily News and Hong Kong’s Ming Pao on August 15, the Taiwanese government is pushing to amend the law so that Chinese mainland nationals applying to settle in Taiwan will effectively be required to nullify their mainland passports.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized this move, saying, “organizations and individuals involved in intentionally damaging the passports of the People’s Republic of China in accordance with the law,” and added, “The DPP administration are cooperating to push for various so-called “amendments to the law” to the extreme obstruction of Taiwanese compatriots traveling to and from the mainland, and to the extreme restrictions on mainland residents traveling to and from Taiwan”
Furthermore, Taiwanese authorities announced the previous day that they would ban current and former public officials from attending the upcoming military parade in Beijing next month, which marks the 80th anniversary of victory in World War 2.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council emphasized that not only current government officials, but also former high-ranking officials in defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs who attend the event may face penalties such as the loss of pensions.
