Historically, ‘mainland spouses’ were brides of soldiersMi Zhengrong, 72, met her husband through relatives in China’s Hubei province. “But you can bully the ‘mainland spouses’ here, and use them to create hostility.” ‘Mainland spouses’ are treated differently from other immigrants by lawEven before recent controversies, spouses born in China were treated differently from spouses born anywhere else. For example, “mainland spouses” can apply for Taiwanese citizenship after six years, while foreign spouses can apply in four years. But on the list of valuable targets for information, “there’s no room for ‘mainland spouses.’”