Taipei, July 19 -- As of Wednesday, nearly 90 per cent of Chinese spouses married to Taiwanese have complied with the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) directive to renounce their household registration in China, underscoring Taiwan's defense against Beijing's influence, The Taipei Times reported.

According to The Taipei Times, MAC Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chie revealed that out of 12,156 tracked Chinese spouses, only 10 opted to relinquish their Taiwanese household registration--a stark reminder of China's lingering appeal. The minuscule 0.0008 per cent figure highlights Beijing's waning soft power in the face of Taipei's commitment to sovereignty.

Most compliant spouses complied swiftly: 6,569 submitted verifiable proof of deregistering...