Interior minister Chen Wei-zen says that Taiwan may consider issuing ID cards for visiting Chinese citizens. He made the remarks on Wednesday, just days after China announced it would begin issuing ID cards for Taiwanese visiting China.
At the legislature on Wednesday, Chen explained that the move to issue Mainland visitors with ID cards is part of an effort to go paperless. He said that the move could be timed to coincide with a plan to update Taiwanese ID cards in 2017.
“I think that we can issue Chinese visitors with ID cards at the same time we update Taiwanese ID cards," said Chen. "We must do all we can to reduce paper use. Also, cards are more durable, especially for people who need to use the document multiple times. The implementation of cards can help us go paperless.”
Chen said that the interior ministry will continue discussing the feasibility of issuing entry cards to Chinese nationals.