Is China using ID cards to influence Taiwan?

A documentary video has caused controversy in Taiwan after a Chinese businessman was filmed encouraging Taiwanese citizens to apply for Chinese IDs, apparently unaware that what he said would later become public.

Lin Jincheng, the head of a startup incubator for Taiwanese youth in China’s Fujian Province, said in the video that those offered Chinese IDs would be allowed to retain their Taiwanese citizenship and passport, which would go against Taiwanese law.

As indicated in the video, the supposed incentive is easier access for Taiwanese to the Chinese market. As Lin emphasized, Taiwanese with a Chinese ID could register a company in China and, for example, start a cross-border e-commerce business, purchase property and take out bank loans.

Yun Wang, an associate professor specializing in cross-strait relations at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University, told DW that although “Taiwan strongly resists unification with China, there is significant interest in profiting from the Chinese market.”

“The Communist Party has taken full advantage of this dynamic,” Wang added.

How are authorities responding?

During an ongoing investigation, Taiwanese authorities reported that fewer than 10 people are currently suspected of holding Chinese IDs. If confirmed, their household registration in Taiwan would be revoked.

The Chinese government has not issued a direct response to the allegations.

In the video, when Lin was asked about applying for a Chinese ID, he did not provide a direct answer. He indicated the procedures vary across the country, and the process takes longer in some cities.

For instance, Lin said that in Xiamen, a port city in southeast China, over 4,000 Taiwanese citizens have applied for the ID card, with a waiting period of up to three months. This claim could not be independently confirmed.

Why is it alarming for Taiwan?

The video that went viral in Taiwan is considered to be only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to China’s “united front” tactics, which aim to politically influence young Taiwanese and encourage closer integration with mainland China.

In another case, it was revealed that some Taiwanese YouTubers and influencers had received guidance from China’s United Front Work Department to promote the government’s propaganda.

Meanwhile, a recent report by Taiwan’s National Security Bureau showed that China is targeting temple organizations, gangsters, and retired veterans in Taiwan to establish spy networks.

Of all the tactics, offering ID cards is a relatively new one, Wang said.

“In the past, when Taiwanese people went to China, they were treated as foreigners. Now, they can be regarded as citizens,” he said.

But Wang added that China would have concerns over Taiwanese authorities exploiting such tactics by sending spies to the country for intelligence gathering.

“Even though they are offering [Taiwan] national treatment, I believe they are still guarding against [Taiwanese],” he said.

China ‘buying off’ collaborators?

Chih-wei Yu, an associate professor in the Department of Public Safety at Taiwan’s National Police University, told DW that the Chinese government is trying to “buy off partners or local collaborators” in Taiwan.

“They don’t necessarily want these people to do anything on a regular basis but rather hope when the time comes or when there’s a need, they will follow China’s orders,” he said.

Taiwanese authorities have recently urged its people not to fall into the trap, as China is gradually luring Taiwanese citizens to “confuse their sense of national identity and sovereignty,” as directly translated from a statement written in Chinese.

While Beijing remains relatively silent on the matter, most online debates on Chinese social media characterized the news as an indicator that China is inching closer to achieving “unification” with Taiwan, a self-ruled island the Chinese government claims as its own.

Scholar Wang, however, believes that granting Chinese IDs to Taiwanese people is unlikely to help with “unification” or to undermine Taiwanese national identity.

He said the real goal for China may be to create “some friction and division within Taiwanese society through the actions of a small number of individuals” holding Chinese IDs.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn