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Chinese social media influencers lost their right to reside in Taiwan after advocating for Beijing’s annexation of the country to crack down on the growth of propaganda, penetration and espionage from China.
The woman was named Liu, married to a Taiwanese citizen and has lived in Taiwan for several years.
She frequently posts short video clips to the Chinese Tiktok version of Douin, supporting the Chinese government’s position that the island is part of China under “Taiwan Yaya.”
Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency said it had revoked a woman’s family-based residence permit on Wednesday, banning her from applying for domestic residence in national security positions for five years.
The lawsuit was marked when Taipei first expelled a Chinese spouse of Taiwanese citizens, the agency said.
It comes as the government emphasizes the insurrection against the narrative of parental nation and the spread of Chinese propaganda, and strengthens the penetration and spying efforts backed by Beijing.
On Monday, the Ministry of Defense proposed tightening the criminal law to spread China’s propaganda and punish Taiwanese soldiers who plead loyalty to the enemy in prison for up to seven years.
Previously, the government was reluctant to make any moves that could be interpreted as a limit on freedom of speech.
However, officials said that since Donald Trump took office in the United States, China has stepped up its disinformation and espionage since taking office in the United States with the aim of undermining Taiwan’s internal unity and morale by stumbling on the reliability of US support for the security of the island.
Taiwan’s Chinese residents can freely advocate the benefits of unity or refer to “one country, two systems,” suggesting that Beijing will take control of the islands it is universally opposed in Taiwan, said Chui Chuchen, head of the mainland Issues Council, the government’s internal affairs level Chinese policy body.
“It falls within the scope of free speech, so we respect it all,” he said. But “Unification by force and defense for war have nothing to do with freedom of speech.”
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In a recent video, Liu claimed that if Taiwan targets Chinese military, it would be reduced to “dust within 30 minutes.”
Previously, she said, “If you don’t want peaceful unity, we must use Beijing’s e-music representation for the attack, and we must have pure unity.”
In previous posts, she urged China to make a military move and asked why Beijing is “already not united by force.”
After she was called for questioning on Monday, Liu complained on her Douyin account that she was being bullied online, questioning why her right to free speech was denied just because she claimed Chinese patriotism.
Liu could not be immediately contacted for comment.
