No Plans To Loosen Naturalization Laws for Chinese Spouses: Premier
Taiwan's Premier Chen Chien-jen says the government has no plans to amend the country's naturalization laws regarding Chinese nationals married to Taiwanese citizens spouses.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Caught between the crosshairs of Taiwan and China,
00:03 couples from two sides of the strait
00:05 facing stricter naturalization laws
00:08 than other foreign spouses in Taiwan.
00:10 Taiwan's premier has now waded into the debate
00:13 over an opposition-led bid to loosen these laws
00:16 for Chinese nationals married to Taiwanese citizens.
00:19 "At present, whether it's the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
00:22 or the Ministry of Home Affairs,
00:24 we have not amended the regulations on this issue."
00:29 Spouses from China need at least six years
00:32 to become naturalized Taiwanese citizens,
00:34 compared to four years for people from other countries.
00:38 The opposition's proposals to apply the same rules
00:41 to Chinese nationals have sparked heated criticism,
00:45 with concerns ranging from national security
00:47 to straining Taiwan's national health insurance system.
00:50 On that front, the country's health minister
00:53 says there's no reason to worry.
00:55 "Lu Pei's short term health insurance
01:00 has no impact on his health.
01:03 His family may have been affected by the divorce."
01:09 But advocates for cross-strait marriage equality
01:12 say any concerns about dependents
01:14 using up medical resources are overblown.
01:17 "Lu Pei's parents can live in Taiwan
01:18 for as long as 70 years.
01:20 The age limit for this is 60 years.
01:22 The current age limit is 20 years.
01:25 If you start getting married at 70,
01:27 you may not be able to get married
01:29 until you're 90 or older."
01:30 Advocates say such treatment goes against
01:33 Taiwan's democratic spirit.
01:35 Now the government in Taipei is faced with a tough choice.
01:38 Loosening naturalization for Chinese spouses
01:41 may spark a nationalistic backlash.
01:44 But with the opposition majority in the legislature
01:46 backing the changes,
01:48 the final decision may be out of its hands.
01:51 Devon Cai and Joyce Tsen for Taiwan Plus.
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