Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency (NIA) has revoked the residence permits of two more Taiwan-based Chinese influencers after concluding they had openly advocating for China’s unification of Taiwan by force.
In a statement on Friday, the NIA said Xiao Wei (小微) and En Qi (恩綺) are required by law to leave Taiwan shortly, but did not specify the deadline for the two to go.
The NIA said the decision to revoke their family-based long-term residence permits came after the agency consulted with the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which supervises cross-strait exchanges.
Last week, the NIA had revoked the residence permit of another Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), who openly advocated in her social media account — Ya Ya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣) — for China’s unification of Taiwan by force.
The NIA has requested that Liu leave Taiwan by March 25. In her case, she was asked to leave 10 days after receiving a deportation order.
The Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area states that a Chinese national “may be deported, or ordered to depart within 10 days” under circumstances including “being considered (a) threat [sic] to the national or social stability based on sufficient facts.”
The three Chinese influencers are the spouses of their Taiwanese husbands.
Local news media reported Liu and Xiao Wei have three kids each. It was not clear whether En Qi has any kid.
According to the NIA, Xiao Wei posted several video clips on her social media page, promoting China’s unification of Taiwan by force, using messages such as “five-star red national flag of China are seen all over the streets in Taiwan.”
As for En Qi, the NIA said, the Chinese spouse posted video clips on her online account, saying: “the People’s Liberation Army demonstrates its strong military strength and adamantly maintains China’s sovereignty,” and that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.”
The NIA said the agency had intensified investigations into the two Chinese influencers to verify the facts while summoning them to express their opinions during the probes.
After consulting with the MAC and other related government agencies, the NIA said it has decided to revoke the two’s residence permits and bar them from reapplying for family-based and long-term residence permits for the next five years.
The NIA said the decision to order the two Chinese spouses to leave Taiwan completely abides by the law and shows Taiwan’s determination to protect national security and stabilize its society.