Chinese-born social media influencer Yaya in Taiwan’s (亞亞在台灣) “reunification” comments contravened not only the law, but what is acceptable in Taiwan as free speech, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today ahead of a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan.
The influencer’s comments, and any similar inflammatory and illegal online statements, would be dealt with under the full force of the law, she added.
The National Immigration Agency yesterday revoked the woman’s dependent-based residence permit after comments she made online about “unifying Taiwan using military force.”
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The Chinese-born influencer, surnamed Liu (劉), is married to a Taiwanese national.
The agency said it received reports that Liu made the statements on her online account "Yaya in Taiwan,” which has nearly 400,000 followers on the Chinese social media platform Douyin.
Her comments made in a self-recorded video were reported under suspicion of promoting “united front” tactics and she was brought in for questioning by the agency.
It decided to revoke her permit according to 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) and Article 14 of the Measures for the Permission of Family-based Residence, Long-term Residence and Settlement of People from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民在台灣地區依親居留長期居留或定居許可辦法).
Liu would be scheduled for deportation after a grace period granted to put her affairs in order, sources said, while the agency said she would not be allowed to reapply for a dependent-based residence permit for five years.
As all Taiwanese know, freedom of speech is not a god-given right, nor an excuse to promote ideas of unifying Taiwan by force or military intimidation of Taiwan, Liu Shyh-fang said today.
The Legislative Yuan is currently discussing a bill to shorten the waiting period for Chinese nationals with Taiwanese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship from six years to four.
The bill is still under consideration and the Ministry of Interior has advised legislators to exercise caution due to the increased risk posed by geopolitical tensions and the current state of cross-strait relations, Liu Shyh-fang said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked 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 the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS