President Tsai Ing-wen’s New Southward policy has highlighted the rights of new immigrants.
At the legislature on Tuesday, Premier Lin Chuan was asked about the issue. Lin said there are about 350,000 Chinese spouses in Taiwan. He said it would be good for them to have an easier way to get a Taiwan ID card. This would have a positive effect on their families and the way the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government is viewed in China, he said.The premier added that it would also show that the DPP cares about human rights.
Opposition Kuomintang legislator Lin Li-chan said that the different requirements for Chinese and foreign spouses in getting Taiwan IDs seems like discrimination. Lin asked the premier if Chinese spouses could be treated the same as spouses from other countries. The premier said he would seriously consider this suggestion.
Premier Lin said,"The way the government cares for new immigrants should not be differentiated by ethnicity. There are two different laws for new immigrants to get IDs. There has been much debate about if this is fair. There must be many factors complicating the issue. We will seriously consider this idea."
Interior Minister Yeh Jiunn-rong also said that the government is very concerned about new immigrant issues.