A Chinese influencer living in Taiwan must leave the island in a few days or be expelled, said the Taiwanese authorities, after having published videos supporting the idea that China takes the island by force.
This decision comes at an era of cross tensions and crossed traits and growing suspicions of Chinese influence on the democratic island.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) of Taiwan, which revoked the influencer’s visa, said that “its behavior advocates the elimination of Taiwan’s sovereignty and is not tolerated in Taiwanese society”.
The influencer, identified by the authorities with her Liu family name, had moved from continental China to Taiwan on a visa dependent after marrying a Taiwanese.
Liu has until March 24 to leave Taiwan before being expelled, reported the local media.
She could not ask for another dependent visa for five years, according to a statement from NIA on Saturday.
Liu, better known on social networks under the name of Yaya in Taiwan, regularly publishes pro-Beijing comments with her young daughter.
In videos, Liu refers to the island of “province of Taiwan” and echoes the story of the state of China according to which Taiwan is “an inseparable part of China”.
China claims the autonomous taiwan within the framework of its territory and has not excluded the use of force on it. Taiwan, however, considers himself distinct from China.
“The complete unification of the fatherland is a necessity, no matter what the Taiwanese people want,” said Liu in a video on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of Tiktok, where it has 480,000 subscribers.
“Peaceful unification is much more difficult than strength by force,” she added. “It depends on the choices made by Taiwanese.”
While the criticisms against her videos were showing up, Liu posted on Douyin in February that she “would never back down”.
Later, she said that she “tried to promote good on both sides” through her videos and “eliminate the abyss between people”.
“I just analyze objectively and share my own opinions,” she said. “Those who push Taiwan’s independence … are those who cause real rear to Taiwanese society.”
His remarks sparked the condemnation of the leaders of Taiwan, the Minister of the Interior, Liu Shyh-Fang, saying that freedom of expression was “no excuse” to call for the invasion of Taiwan.
Liu is part of more than 400,000 Chinese spouses living in Taiwan, whose activities have been more and more examined in the midst of the growing tensions of cross lines.
In a list of measures announced last week to limit Chinese influence and infiltration on the island, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-Te called to a stricter control of cross-exchanges, which, according to him, were considered by China as a means of “creating internal divisions” in Taiwan.
