THREAT TO STABILITY: The two influencers openly said that Taiwan is part of China and advocated for forceful unification, the immigration agency said
Staff writer, with CNA
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) has revoked the residence permits of two more Chinese influencers after concluding they were 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 by when the two must 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.
A composite picture shows Chinese influencers, Xiao Wei, left, and En Qi, whose residency permits have been revoked.
Photo: Screengrab from Douyin and Thread
The NIA on Tuesday last week revoked the residence permit of another Chinese national, identified by her surname, Liu (劉), who openly advocated on her social media account — Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣) — for China’s unification of Taiwan by force.
The NIA has requested that Liu leave Taiwan by Tuesday — 10 days after receiving a deportation order.
The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) says that a Chinese national “may be deported, or ordered to depart within 10 days” under circumstances including “being considered [a] threat to the national or social stability based on sufficient facts.”
The three Chinese influencers have Taiwanese spouses.
Local news media reported Liu and Xiao Wei have three kids each. It was not clear whether En Qi has any children.
Xiao Wei posted several video clips on her social media page, promoting China’s annexation of Taiwan, using messages such as “five-star red national flags of China are seen all over the streets in Taiwan,” the NIA said.
Meanwhile, En Qi posted video clips on her online account, saying that “the [Chinese] 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 NIA said it had intensified investigations into the two Chinese influencers to verify the facts and summoned them to express their opinions during the probes.
After consulting with the MAC and other government agencies, the NIA said it has decided to revoke the two influencers’ residence permits and bar them from reapplying for family-based and long-term residence permits for the next five years.
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, the agency said.