Nantou County Councillor Shi Xueyan’s (史雪燕) dismissal from office was due to nationality issues according to Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) in an interview clarifying the circumstances on Friday.
Liu details the current policy that dictates that if a Chinese spouse obtains a Taiwanese ID card, they have the right to vote and be elected. However, after being elected to public office, they must give up their original nationality within one year or forfeit their position according to law.
Shi remains a Chinese citizen and her removal from office has been ordered by the Interior Ministry. She explained that at the time she naturalized in Taiwan, she had not been asked to give up her Chinese nationality, so she was unclear on the policy. Shi said she will be appealing the ministry’s decision.
Liu emphasized that the regulation is not new and has been applicable to all representatives with dual citizenship for a long time, citing the examples of Kaohsiung City Councilor Huang Shao-ting (黃紹庭) and former Taipei City Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安), both of whom had U.S. citizenship. Lee’s dismissal as a legislator was also due to the discovery that she had retained U.S. citizenship.
However, Chinese spouses have reported that the People's Republic of China does not allow individuals to voluntarily give up their nationality, but can only give up their household registration. As a result, after being elected as a representative in Taiwan, the Chinese spouse cannot complete the legal procedure of giving up their nationality. Liu responded that China does have an application channel for giving up nationality, but it is just a matter of whether the individual is willing to apply.