TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A Chinese spouse faces doubts about her eligibility to become a legislator for the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), reports said Friday (Nov. 8).

Ahead of the legislative elections in January, the TPP said its lawmakers would have to resign halfway through their four-year term and make way for replacements. The party won eight seats, with all eight slated to resign before Feb. 1, 2026.

However, one of the eight replacements, Lee Chen-hsiu (李貞秀), would be the first Chinese spouse to enter the Legislative Yuan. Questions have been asked about her eligibility, with the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) emphasizing that people holding dual nationality cannot serve as legislators.

The TPP said that another Chinese spouse was elected to Nantou County Council and served without problem, per CNA. However, the opposition party did not specify whether Lee and the Nantou politician had given up their Chinese passports.

Lee wrote on Facebook that she only held a Taiwan passport, and needed the same special travel document from China to visit as any other Taiwanese citizen. She added that neither of her parents was a member of the Chinese Communist Party.