Taiwan revokes citizenship of 3 individuals over possession of Chinese IDs

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced Thursday that the Republic of China (Taiwan) citizenship of three individuals, including taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), have been revoked due to their possession of Chinese IDs.

Since the release of a video about China's united front efforts targeting Taiwan, the MAC has received "information on around a dozen specific cases" regarding Taiwanese citizens holding Chinese IDs, said Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑), MAC deputy head and spokesperson.

"After verification by the relevant authorities, the Taiwanese citizenship of three individuals, including Lee Tung-hsien and Su Shih-en (蘇士恩), has been revoked," Liang told a news conference in Taipei.

He noted that the revocation was due to their possession of Chinese IDs, which violates the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (Cross-Strait Act).

Under the act, Taiwanese citizens are prohibited from having Chinese household registration or a passport from China. Anyone in violation of the provision could have their Republic of China household registration cancelled, lose their citizenship and forfeit related rights, such as their eligibility to participate in elections or hold public office.

According to Chinese law, a Chinese household registration is required to apply for a Chinese ID, as the applicant must present a Chinese household registration book to the authorities during the process.

Asked by CNA what kind of concrete evidence or channels were used to verify the named individuals who hold Chinese IDs, Liang said only that "it has been verified," without providing further details.

He also said that if a Taiwanese individual whose Taiwanese citizenship has been revoked wants to come to Taiwan or return to Taiwan, that person will need to apply using the relevant documents issued by the mainland authorities to gain entry to Taiwan.

"Of course, you will no longer have access to National Health Insurance -- you will basically be regarded as a mainland Chinese," he added.

The MAC has been investigating allegations of Taiwanese citizens holding Chinese ID cards in recent months, following claims made by Taiwanese YouTubers Pa Chiung (八炯) and Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源) in a two-part documentary released in December last year discussing China's united front efforts targeting Taiwan.

In the two videos, which had garnered a combined 5 million views as of Thursday, Lee and Su revealed that they hold a Chinese ID, while an unnamed intermediary in the video also claimed that approximately 100,000 Taiwanese citizens currently hold a Chinese ID.

Lee has long been regarded as a pro-China figure, especially after he competed in taekwondo at the 2023 Asia Pacific Masters Games in South Korea, where he won a bronze medal and displayed the Chinese national flag during the award ceremony.