Taiwan Life in Brief – April 2020

Johnny Chiang was inaugurated as KMT Chairman on March 9.

Johnny Chiang Takes KMT Chair

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Johnny Chiang on March 7 was elected as party chair, winning the chairperson by-election handily against his sole opponent, former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin. Chiang, who is 47, represents the younger generation of KMT leadership. During his campaign, he promised major reforms aimed at modernizing the party and better aligning it with public sentiment. 

In addition, Chiang made statements critical of Beijing’s insistence that the “1992 Consensus” – a vague formulation under which both sides agree that there is one China – means unification on its terms. His remarks seemed to indicate that under his leadership, the KMT might reconsider its position on the cross-Strait relationship.  

However, Chiang did not bring up the 1992 Consensus during his inauguration speech on March 9. Chairing his first meeting of the KMT Central Standing Committee a few days later, Chiang said that the party’s losses in the January 11 national elections did not necessarily mean that there were issues with the 1992 consensus. 

In what was seen as a snub by Beijing, Chinese leader Xi Jinping did not issue a congratulatory telegram to Chiang after his election victory, breaking with a tradition dating back to 2005. 

Chiang holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in international relations. Before entering politics, he was a specialist on international trade agreements on the staff of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research.  

March Sees Spike in COVID-19 Cases 

While Taiwan’s approach to contain the novel coronavirus has been praised for its effectiveness, a second wave of infections has shown that areas of vulnerability remain. After a brief period of slow growth in the number of cases in Taiwan, the rate of confirmed infections began increasing in mid-March, reaching 306 by the end of the month. Most of the new cases were imported – Taiwanese nationals and foreign residents traveling home from abroad. This fact led the CECC to eventually raise the travel alert for all countries to Level 3, the highest tier.  

All travelers returning to Taiwan must now follow health management procedures upon arrival at the airport. They are required to fill out a health declaration form at Customs and then quarantine themselves for 14 days, reporting any symptoms to health authorities during that window. In addition, location data on their cell phones is monitored to ensure that they comply with the quarantine requirement. Leaving their homes or shutting off their phones triggers an alert. Officials also call twice a day to make sure people are not circumventing the tracking by leaving their phones at home. 

The government is now severely discouraging all non-essential travel. The CECC has stated that anyone who does decide to go abroad without good reason on return will not be eligible to receive the NT$1,000 daily stipend currently offered to those forced to undergo quarantine.  

In the latest development, the CECC announced a two-week ban on travelers transiting through Taiwan’s airports, starting from March 24.  

Entry Barred for Most Foreigners

Responding to a rapid increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in mid to late March, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung on March 18 announced that Taiwan would close its ports of entry to all foreign nationals the following day. Exceptions would be made for those who are legal residents, diplomats, or who are arriving to carry out commercial contracts.  

The National Immigration Agency also announced that starting from March 19, it would not issue re-entry permits to migrant workers who had returned to their home countries. In order to avoid large turnover, the NIA recommended that employers renew their contracts with current employees rather than apply for replacement workers. 

The move at first appeared to pose difficulties for foreigners in Taiwan on temporary visas, as they would be barred from reentering the country once their visa status expired. The Foreign Ministry’s Bureau of Consular Affairs initially took a conservative stance, stating that exceptions would be made only for foreigners whose home countries were in lockdown, if no flights were available, or if they were undergoing quarantine.  

However, the NIA on March 20 instituted a three-month amnesty program aimed mainly at migrant workers who overstay their visas. Under the program, overstayers will not be subject to a re-entry ban or mandatory detention as long as they voluntarily turn themselves into immigration authorities before the grace period ends. Those who comply will instead be fined a maximum of NT$2,000 and will be allowed to return at a later date.  

The goal of the program is to encourage undocumented migrant workers with symptoms to get tested for the coronavirus without fear of reprisal. However, some have observed that the authorities could still request that hospitals report the immigration status of those who have been tested, subjecting them to potential deportation should their results come back negative. 

On March 21, the government announced that any foreign national who had arrived in Taiwan on or before that date on a visitor or landing visa, or through a visa-waiver program, would automatically receive a 30-day extension on their legal stay period. No application is necessary, but the total period of stay cannot exceed 180 days.