DISCRIMINATORY?Chinese spouses are required to live in Taiwan for six years before being granted residency, while people from other nations only have to wait four years

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 09, 2016
By: Alison Hsiao  /  Staff reporter

Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice presidential candidate Jennifer Wang (王如玄) and China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) Chairman Chang An-le (張安樂), better known as the White Wolf, attended the Chinese Women’s Federation general meeting yesterday, at which Chang lashed out at the KMT for failing to allow Chinese spouses enjoy the four-year residency requirement for obtaining Republic of China residency that spouses from other nations do.

The Chinese Women’s Federation was founded in 2013 by Chinese spouses to promote the group’s interests. The meeting was attended by KMT politicians.

Wang said that new immigrants are “mothers of Taiwanese children” and each is “one of our own,” adding that various measures benefiting new immigrants, such as granting them the right to work and participate in occupational training before obtaining residency, were made possible when the KMT was in office and when she was Minister for the Council of Labor Affairs.

“It is not easy to make room [for those new measures] as some parties deem new immigrants as ‘not of our kind,’” Wang said.

It takes Chinese spouses six years to become residents, whereas for spouses from other nations it takes four years.

“Are [Chinese spouses] second-class citizens compared with Southeast Asian [spouses]?” Chang said after Wang left the meeting, adding that Wang failed to promise to make reforms.    [FULL  STORY]