Taiwan cracks down on firms helping residents apply for Chinese identity cards

Nearly 4,000 Taiwanese residents have reportedly applied for Chinese IDs in coastal Xiamen city

Taipei is cracking down on Taiwanese people illegally procuring Chinese identity cards, apparently in a bid to contain Beijing’s expanding influence.

The Mainland Affairs Council said it is taking action against residents who hold valid identity documents for both the self-governed island and the mainland.

Interior minister Liu Shyh-fang said investigators have identified several companies that allegedly help people apply for Chinese ID cards.

This comes shortly after two Taiwanese influencers shared a video showing how Beijing is luring the island’s residents to apply for Chinese identity cards in a tactic move to swing public opinion in its favour.

China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and doesn’t rule out the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwanese leaders, however, reject Chinese sovereignty.

At least 4,000 Taiwanese residents are reported to have applied for Chinese identity cards in the coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province. About half of them did so without giving up their Taiwanese identification documents or travel permits required to visit the mainland.

One of the influencers behind the YouTube video, Pa Chiung, has alleged that three to five travel and public relations companies in Taiwan and two firms in China are assisting Taiwanese residents in securing People’s Republic of China identity cards during trips to the mainland.

Ms Shyh-fang confirmed this. “Three to five public relations firms in southern and northern Taiwan have allegedly helped Taiwanese apply for Chinese ID cards and are under investigation for potential legal violations,” the minister said earlier this month.

Ms Shyh-fang, whose ministry oversees Taiwan’s immigration and investigation agencies, said at least 30 individuals are being questioned in connection with the procurement of Chinese identity papers.

The interior ministry is also investigating whether the Taiwanese companies under investigation were driven by “purely commercial” motives or were part of a larger operation to promote China’s annexation of Taiwan.