It was found that at least 62 Taiwanese service members hold the permit, but that is not illegal and is regulated for military members.
Dozens of active members of the Taiwanese military are known to have residence permits in China, revoking access to military information.
It has been found that at least 62 Taiwanese service members hold the permit, which is not illegal, but is prohibited for members of military and government workers, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said on April 17.
Communist China does not grant Taiwanese passports, and the Chinese immigration law requires that applicants live and work in China before they are approved to hold such a permit.
So they could be seen as symbols of China’s influence in Taiwanese military, and members found to retain them will be banned from handling intelligence and sensitive data, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellingtonku said on April 16.
Koo added that no service members do not own Chinese passports or resident identification documents indicating the forced revocation of Chinese citizenship and Taiwanese citizenship.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after years of civil war. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) managed to conquer other parts of China, but the Chinese government retreated to Taiwan Island.
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Nearly 10% of Taiwan’s population is made up of people who have personally fled, or those with parents and grandparents who have fled the Communist Party’s acquisition under CCP leader Mao Zedong.
Therefore, many maintain emotional or financial relationships with the mainland that CCP has historically been trying to misuse.
“What they’re trying to do is sow seeds of incongruity in our society, to become obsessed with internal conflicts and ignore real external threats,” Lai told reporters.
To that end, LAI introduced 17 new measures to combat the threat of an increase in CCP spying, including restoring the military court system for suspected active duty personnel in support of the enemy.
The new measures will also impose a more stringent review of Taiwan visits or residence applications by Chinese citizens, making “necessary adjustments” to the flow of money, people and technology throughout the channel.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
