Originally Posted by
cxfan1960
Chinese ethnicity does not imply Chinese nationality. My kids do not have Chinese nationalities. China does not recognize multiple citizenship for Chinese nationals. People with foreign passports are not considered Chinese citizens (except for Hong Kong and Macau residents). However, many police officers probably are not aware that foreign consulates need to be notified when a foreign citizen is arrested. This is not unique to China.
Originally Posted by
bocastephen
Thanks for clarifying - I had read somewhere, I guess incorrectly, that China's government insisted that anyone of Chinese ethnicity was a Chinese national, and thus subject to their 'jurisdiction' if they ever set foot inside China.
Anyway, I assume the OP has the direction they need to do this trip in the least painless way possible.
The issue is the place of birth, the law of China and the new law of their place of birth, mainly HK and Macau.
You will not be issued a tourist visa on a Canadian nor American passport if your place of birth is HK and Macau. The only exception is for people born before Chinese sovereignty and has previous entries or tourist visa.
Another cultural specific issue is what the parents did with their children's status before they turn 18; like applying for an HRP on their behalf.
From the facts presented so far by OP, my educated guess is he is Taiwan born Canadian citizen. He is concerned about his travel permit usage as the entry is from TW but the exit is not. Based on the principle of this permit it is for travelling from TW to China and back. This is a much smaller group than HK born foreign nationals so there is a lack of data points and experiences available in the public domain.
xRoyalPhantom:
I would just route my departure to TPE and head back to YVR from there.