Taiwan discovered five companies that help citizens obtain Chinese identity card
Taipei: According to sources cited by Taipei Times, the National Immigration Agency and national security authorities have discovered that at least five businesses are helping Taiwanese nationals apply for Chinese identity cards while they are in China.
After YouTuber “Pa Chiung” disclosed that some Taiwanese businesses assist individuals in applying for Chinese papers, the problem was brought to light.
According to Taipei Times, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang confirmed last week that three to five public relations firms in southern and northern Taiwan are being investigated for allegedly helping Taiwanese apply for Chinese ID cards, which may be a violation of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of Taiwan and the Mainland.
According to sources, two of these businesses are based in Taiwan. Opening a bank account in Xiamen, China, is part of a three-day package offered by One, a Tainan-based travel operator.
According to reports, a different business in New Taipei City’s Banciao District specializes in internet advertising, real estate, and automobile sales. However, it also provides services to assist Taiwanese nationals in applying for Chinese ID cards throughout the course of a two-night, three-day trip, as reported by Taipei Times.
Three businesses located in the Fujian Province of China are also being investigated. To encourage Taiwanese to apply for Chinese ID cards, one of them, Fujian Fa-cai Information Technology Ltd., offers massive loans from Chinese banks at “extremely low interest rates” totaling millions of yuan.
Another, a Xiamen-based public relations company, advertises on social media that it can assist Taiwanese in obtaining Chinese identity.
Taiwanese citizens founded the third business in the Zhangzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone. According to the source, two guys named Lin Chin-cheng and Su Shih-en are reportedly participating in the scheme, which tries to persuade young Taiwanese to register for Chinese ID cards.
Su’s citizenship was revoked by the Ministry of the Interior last month after he showed his Chinese ID card during one of Pa Chiung’s movies on Beijing’s “united front” strategies.
On condition of anonymity, an official said, “It is illegal to assist others in applying for Chinese ID cards.”
According to the official, domestic travel firms may not help with applications for unlawful papers like Chinese ID cards or permanent residency cards, but they may help with Taiwan compatriot permit applications.
According to the official, those who run these companies without permission from the government or work with Chinese officials risk penalties of between NT USD 100,000 and NT USD 500,000 under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of Taiwan and the Mainland.
