Dozens of Active Taiwanese Military Personnel Found Holding Chinese Residency Permits

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has revealed that at least 62 active-duty military personnel have been found holding Chinese residency permits, raising concerns about potential Chinese influence within the self-ruled island’s armed forces, according to The AP.

The discovery comes amid escalating tensions between Taiwan and China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province and has increasingly employed “gray area” tactics to undermine Taiwanese resistance, in addition to its threat of military invasion.

The residency permits grant holders the right to reside in China, potentially offering an escape route in the event of hostilities. While holding such permits is legal under Taiwanese law, it raises concerns about access to sensitive information.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo assured a legislative hearing on Wednesday that the 62 service members holding Chinese residency permits will be barred from handling intelligence and confidential data.

Koo clarified that none of the service members were found to possess Chinese passports or resident identity cards, which would signify Chinese citizenship and necessitate the relinquishing of Taiwanese citizenship. Taiwanese citizenship offers benefits such as visa-free travel to numerous countries and access to the island’s welfare system.

Taiwan’s military comprises 150,000 active personnel and another 1.6 million in the reserves.

The population of Taiwan, totaling 23 million, includes approximately 2 million individuals who fled or whose families fled to the island with Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists ahead of the Communist takeover of mainland China in 1949. Historical parallels have been drawn to Mao Zedong’s successful strategy of infiltrating Nationalist troops with loyalists.

Despite the widespread support for the current status of de-facto independence and a strong defense strategy bolstered by close ties with the United States, many Taiwanese citizens maintain emotional or financial links to the mainland, posing ongoing challenges to the development of a cohesive Taiwanese identity.

In response to these concerns, Taiwan is taking measures to close security loopholes, extend mandatory military training for all service-age males, and acquire sophisticated jet fighters and ground weapons.