It seems that at least one person wouldn’t. A prominent Taiwanese golfer refused this offer to become a Chinese citizen. And, boy, it was a lucrative offer.
from The China Post/Asia News Network
Taiwanese golfer Yani Tseng recently rejected a five-year NT$1-billion (S$42 million) sponsorship deal offered by a Chinese enterprise, which required her to become a Chinese citizen, her father was cited as saying yesterday. The business, which had been trying to woo the star golfer since last year, approached her again last month with a five-year contract worth US$25 million (S$33.5 million), plus the use of private jets and a luxury villa in Beijing, the father was quoted by Apple Daily as saying.
While I’m not sure what nationality laws are in China for a Taiwanese (or ROC) citizen, it would actually be quite easy to change your ID documents. Why? Because China still regards Taiwan as a province of China, . but this was a gutsy move that Yani made. I only hope that she doesn’t regret it in personal or career terms later.
So would you give up your citizenship to do this? . Well, *ahem*, if it was less politically charged than the age-old disputes between China and Taiwan, I might. But then again, a lot of that money would have to be upfront, and the offering party would have to be trustworthy not to renege on its deal, especially in the last few years.