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Staff
writer, with CNA Fri,
May 10, 2013 - Page 4 Taiwan should show the value it
places on human rights by treating Chinese spouses and students living in the
nation fairly, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦)
said yesterday. Wang said that while Taiwan
repeatedly urges China to value human rights, Taiwan needs to treat Chinese
spouses and students living in Taiwan in an equitable way. The government wants to balance the
rights of foreign and Chinese spouses in Taiwan, he said during a public
hearing at the legislature for two proposed bills related to the rights of
Chinese spouses. The council is seeking to amend
Article 17 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan
Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to shorten from six
years to four the length of time Chinese spouses of Taiwanese nationals must
wait before they can obtain Republic of China citizenship. “I will continue to push for the
passage of the bill as long as I remain mainland affairs minister,” Wang
said. The Taiwan Solidarity Union,
meanwhile, has proposed amending Article 21 of the same act to limit the
rights of Chinese spouses to engage in politics in Taiwan, even after they
become citizens. Zhan Xiuying
(湛秀英), head of an immigrant
group in Greater Kaohsiung, urged political parties not to “see Chinese
spouses from a political point of view.” “Chinese spouses are not enemies or
people from an enemy country. They are the daughters-in-law, wives and
mothers of Taiwanese,” she said, adding that giving Chinese spouses their
rightful status is the “best way to educate the next generation.” Wang Zhin-sheng
(王智盛), an assistant professor at National Quemoy University’s Department of Ocean and Border Governance, said the
issue of whether to shorten the time Chinese spouses must wait to obtain
citizenship should be considered on the basis of the nation’s
overall immigration policy. He said Taiwan could establish a
strict evaluation process, but once the nation permitted Chinese to marry Taiwanese
and live in Taiwan, they were entitled to the same rights as other foreign
spouses. Bruce Liao (廖元豪),
an associate professor at National Chengchi
University’s College of Law, said not all Chinese
spouses support the same Taiwanese political party and that fair treatment is
one of the first steps for political parties to win the recognition of
Chinese spouses. However, Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒), a professor
at Tamkang University’s
Department of Public Administration, said that most countries design their
immigration policies taking into consideration their unique national
conditions. China is an enemy country and has
never renounced its ambition to take over Taiwan, he said, adding that Taiwan
needs to remain alert. * 《Taipei Times》2013/05/10。
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