TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, Wellington Koo (顧立雄), announced on Tuesday (March 11) that the Ministry of NationalDefense (MND, 國防部) will conduct assessments and supervision for conscripts who hold Chinese identification cards, ensuring they do not engage in sensitive work.
Koo revealed plans to include a "non-dual nationality affidavit" for volunteer military candidates, while conscripts with Chinese IDs will still be required to serve. He emphasized in a Legislative Yuan (立法院) session that the "Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area"(兩岸人民關係條例) mandates military service for Taiwanese citizens.
Koo assured that the ministry will provide guidance on the conduct and lifestyle of conscripts, dismissing concerns about treason as hypothetical. When asked about penalties for active-duty soldiers committing treason, Koo referred to amendments in Article 24 of the "Criminal Code of the Armed Forces" (陸海空軍刑法), inviting public feedback during the announcement period.
Regarding American Institute in Taiwan (AIT, 美國在臺協會) Director Raymond Greene highlighted potential U.S.-Taiwan collaborations in dual-use technologies, such as drones and satellite systems, Koo noted U.S. efforts to introduce a non-red supply chain. Koo reiterated collaborative research between private sectors and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST, 國立中山科學研究院) to eliminate China's dominance in the drone market and establish a secure non-red supply chain.