Taipei: The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) has referred four local governments and five district and township offices to the Control Yuan for investigation after they failed to dismiss five ward and village chiefs who are said to hold People’s Republic of China (PRC) nationality.
According to Focus Taiwan, Chieh Yu-chin, deputy head of the ministry’s Department of Civil Affairs, announced at a press briefing in Taipei that the MOI initiated communication with local authorities on November 29, 2024, to address the issue in compliance with the Nationality Act. The lack of response from these local bodies led to the matter being referred to the Control Yuan in May for further investigation.
Despite the referral, only one of the five village and ward chiefs in question has been removed since May, and that removal is currently under appeal. The MOI has pointed out that the village chief in Hualien County’s Fuli Township and four ward chiefs from Tucheng and Zhonghe districts in New Taipei, Songshan District in Taipei, and Xinwu District in Taoyuan still hold PRC citizenship, which contravenes the law.
Deputy Interior Minister Wu Tang-an clarified that once Chinese spouses become Republic of China (ROC) nationals, they must adhere to the Nationality Act to hold public office. Article 20 of the act requires individuals with dual citizenship to renounce their other nationality before taking office and complete the necessary documentation within one year.
The four village chiefs still in office, allegedly holding PRC nationality, are Wang Min-ju in Taipei, Peng Hsiao-lin in Taoyuan, and Teng Yueh-lan and Lin Hsiu-chen in New Taipei. Deng Wan-hua, the only one removed, served as chief of Xuetian Village in Hualien County’s Fuli Township but was removed on August 1 by the township office. Deng’s appeal against her removal was reversed by the Hualien County government’s Appeals Committee on October 29, although she remains barred from returning to office.
The MOI stated that the Fuli Township Office must further investigate Deng’s case before a new decision is reached. The township office plans to consider both the ministry’s and Hualien County government’s perspectives while reviewing the relevant laws. However, the responsibility for removing officials with PRC nationality lies with township or district offices, limiting the MOI’s direct legal options.
Deng Wan-hua mentioned she has not received any official notifications regarding her case and declined to comment publicly until a resolution is reached. The challenge for naturalized ROC citizens from the PRC is the difficulty in renouncing PRC citizenship. Under PRC law, Chinese nationals who become foreign nationals should automatically lose Chinese nationality. However, China does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, complicating the process for people like Deng, who has unsuccessfully attempted to renounce her PRC citizenship through Chinese authorities.