China’s efforts to entice more Taiwanese people to get permits to live and work on the mainland is prompting concern in Taipei that Beijing could be laying the groundwork to justify intervention in the self-governing island’s affairs, according to a senior Taiwanese official.
China’s efforts to promote the residence permit have recently intensified, especially when it comes to targeting Taiwanese people who’ve never traveled to the mainland, said the official, who asked not to be identified discussing a sensitive matter.
Taiwanese officials are concerned holders of this permit will be easier to convince to apply for China’s national citizen identification card and to swap their passports for those issued by Beijing, the official said. They worry that could in turn be used by the Chinese government to justify the need to "protect Chinese citizens” in Taiwan, said the official.
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