Taipei, March 26 (CNA) Two Chinese nationals whose marriage-based residence permits were revoked for advocating “military unification” with China must leave Taiwan by the end of March, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) announced Wednesday.
The two women, known by their internet names Xiao Wei (小微) and En Qi (恩綺) on the Chinese social media platform Douyin, must leave Taiwan by March 31 or face forced deportation in accordance with the law, according to a news statement issued by the NIA.
The agency also said it had not received any appeals from the two individuals as of Wednesday.
Xiao Wei and En Qi, both of whom were legally resident in Taiwan through marriage, had their residence permits revoked for making statements advocating China’s “military unification” of Taiwan, the NIA said in a news release issued on March 21, without specifying the exact date of the revocation.
Xiao Wei posted multiple videos on the internet, making remarks such as “five-star red flags [referring to the Chinese national flag] are seen all over the streets in Taiwan,” which the NIA deemed as “statements advocating military unification and invasion to eliminate our country’s sovereignty.”
According to the NIA, En Qi said in videos posted online that “the People’s Liberation Army demonstrates its strong military strength and adamantly maintains the country’s [referring to China] sovereignty,” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.”
The two women are legally required to leave Taiwan “within a certain period,” the NIA said, without specifying a deadline for their departure.
Xiao Wei and En Qi are the second and third Chinese spouses ordered to leave Taiwan over advocating “military unification” with China, following Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), who left the country Tuesday evening just hours before her deportation order was to be executed.
Liu took a flight that departed at 8:36 p.m. from Taipei Songshan Airport to the Chinese city of Fuzhou after her public appeal to the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to withdraw the deportation order earlier that day proved unsuccessful.
Shortly after Liu’s departure, the NIA, which operates under the MOI, issued a news release saying that openly advocating China’s “military unification” of Taiwan and the elimination of Taiwan’s sovereignty has “crossed the line of free speech.”
The agency also said it would continue to investigate similar cases it has identified, in line with legal procedures.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s top government agency handling cross-strait affairs, also issued a news statement on Tuesday evening, noting that the vast majority of Chinese spouses “love Taiwan and are willing to be a part of it.”
“We hope that the public will not stereotype a specific group due to a few extreme cases that occurred recently,” the MAC added.
Free speech debate
The incidents involving the three Chinese spouses have sparked discussion over whether a dedicated law with a broader scope should be enacted to ban speech promoting war or China’s “military unification” of Taiwan.
The legal basis for the deportation of the three individuals was Article 18 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, which applies only to Chinese nationals in Taiwan and not Taiwanese citizens.
Deputy Justice Minster Hsu Hsi-hsiang (徐錫祥) told reporters on Wednesday that the Ministry of Justice’s Criminal Code amendment group has held meetings on the matter, with scholars in the group expressing a preference for establishing a dedicated law.
He said that whether a new law is enacted or the Criminal Code is amended, the ministry will continue to gather opinions from all sectors and make the best decision based on freedom of speech and the public interest.
However, 75 scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including Chen Pei-jer (陳培哲) of Academia Sinica, issued a joint statement on the same day, saying that freedom of speech in Taiwan has come under increasing pressure since President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) took office.
They warned that thought control, reminiscent of the martial law era, is making a comeback, citing the MAC’s claim that Liu had expressed support for “military unification,” which was then used as the basis for an administrative order requiring her to leave the country.
The scholars described the move as an abuse of administrative discretion that runs counter to democratic and rule-of-law principles aimed at protecting human rights.
