TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of the Interior on Tuesday proposed a draft amendment that would tighten rules on restoring citizenship for individuals who have obtained Chinese identity documents.

Under the draft, people born in Taiwan but who have held Chinese passports or household registration must prove they have made significant contributions to Taiwan’s national interests or meet other specific criteria to regain citizenship, per CNA.

The Regulations Governing Permission to Restore the Status of People of the Taiwan Area for People from the Mainland Area with Original Household Registration in Taiwan (在台原有戶籍大陸地區人民申請回復台灣地區人民身分許可辦法) is aimed at addressing national security threats from China. The proposal is part of the 17 strategies President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) outlined in March.

Qualifying criteria include contributions to national defense, promotion of Taiwan’s international image, enhancement of social stability, and humanitarian grounds such as involuntary loss of Taiwanese identity as a minor. Applicants must also show they have renounced Chinese passports and lost mainland household registration.

The draft also allows for rejecting or revoking citizenship restoration if applicants engage in Chinese Communist Party propaganda, violate mainland laws, or pose risks to Taiwan’s national interests, such as leaking state secrets or inciting unrest. Enforcement would be led by the National Immigration Agency.

The ministry said the amendment would not require Legislative Yuan approval.