The National Immigration Agency (NIA) of Taiwan has warned that the Chinese wife of a Taiwanese man, surnamed Liu, who openly backed China’s use of force against Taiwan, must leave Taiwan, or she will be deported as per the law, Taipei Times reported.
Liu, an influencer widely recognized by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan, gained permanent residency through her marriage to a Taiwanese national.
According to the Taipei Times report, she has been accused of consistently making pro-unification statements on her YouTube and TikTok channels, including supporting the use of force for China’s unification with Taiwan and endorsing the Chinese government’s position that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.”
On March 4, Liu was summoned by the National Immigration Agency (NIA) following reports about her actions. On Tuesday, the NIA revoked her dependent visa, stating that she must leave Taiwan within 10 days and will be banned from applying for a dependent visa for five years, Taipei Times cited.
The revocation of Liu’s residence permit was made in accordance with Article 14 of the Measures for the Permission of Family-based Residence, Long-term Residence, and Settlement of People from the Mainland Area in Taiwan, as outlined in a news release by the NIA, Taipei Times reported.
The official procedure to revoke Liu’s visa was finalized yesterday, according to the NIA. Although the impact on Liu’s family was taken into consideration, the decision was made to proceed with the revocation, as her remarks were deemed to undermine Taiwan’s democratic system and its sovereignty, explained Hsu Yu, the director of the Immigration Affairs Division.
Liu had been reported by individuals who believed her public support for unification by force violated the law, Taiwan News reported. In response, the NIA launched an investigation into whether her actions violated the Act Governing Relations between the people of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.
The NIA also cautioned online streamers against making certain types of comments online just to gain attention and increase viewership. Such behavior could lead to legal violations and waste government resources in terms of paperwork and administrative tasks.
The NIA further emphasized that any actions that harm or have the potential to harm the country’s democratic values are strongly condemned, as reported by Taipei Times.