Taiwanese President Warns Citizens Against Chinese ID Cards

Authorities are looking into a claim that 100,000 Taiwanese citizens hold Chinese IDs.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers his 2025 New Year's Day address in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 1, 2025. Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building

It’s “not worth it” for Taiwanese citizens to get Chinese ID cards for money, Lai Ching-te said in his first New Year’s Day speech as president of Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China.

The remark came as Taiwanese authorities are investigating a claim that at least 100,000 citizens are holding ID cards issued by communist-ruled mainland China, officially known as the People’s Republic of China (PRC).