The government also revoked the citizenship of a middleman in a CCP scheme, and promised to probe celebrities who backed Beijing’s ‘unification’ narrative.
A Chinese TikToker has become the first resident of Taiwan to have her residency permit revoked over her speech in relation to China’s annexation of Taiwan “by force.”
Liu Zhenya, wife of a Taiwanese citizen and reportedly a mother of three, runs a TikTok channel with nearly half a million subscribers that publishes content pushing for mainland China’s “unification” with Taiwan.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) interviewed Liu on March 4 after her channel was reported to the agency.
In a statement published on March 11, the NIA said it had revoked Liu’s residency permit. She will also be banned for five years from reapplying for a permit.
The agency cited her speech such as “the mainland’s unification with Taiwan by force doesn’t require other reasons,” and “still hasn’t unified by force,” saying they are violations of Taiwanese law, which requires the NIA to deny an application, revoke a residential permit, and ban the applicant or permit holder from reapplying within five years if they pose risks to national security or social stability.
A Taiwanese YouTuber known as as Pa Chiung, who previously exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence operations in Taiwan, said he had reported Liu’s content to the NIA.
Following her interview with the NIA, Liu posted a video on March 5 saying she had not posted the videos under others’ instructions or taken any profit from mainland China for her content. She also defended content about China’s military strength and its threat to annex Taiwan by force, saying the speech reflected her own opinions.
Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang defended the NIA’s decision on Wednesday, saying free speech isn’t “a gift that falls out of the sky” or “an excuse to annex Taiwan by force.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Liang Wen-chieh, deputy minister and spokesman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC)—Taiwan’s government department that handles China affairs—said mainland spouses are free to express their political opinions including pro-unification views, but “if it’s advocating for unification by force, this is absolutely prohibited.”
On whether Liu’s speech is part of the CCP’s infiltration efforts, Liang said while some influencers may be acting under the CCP’s instructions, most of them are likely posting such content for views.
Taiwan, or the Republic of China, is the continuation of an exiled power that ruled mainland China before the CCP took control in 1949 and established the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The communist regime has never ruled Taiwan. It has stated that it would endeavor to absorb Taiwan by peaceful means but has repeatedly threatened to annex the self-ruled island by force.
Internationally, the CCP regularly protested governments and companies for treating Taiwan as a sovereign country, blocked Taiwan from international organizations, and sabotaged Taiwan’s diplomatic relations. Domestically, it censored speech to remove references to Taiwan that doesn’t say it’s a province of the PRC.
Since Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te took office last year, the Chinese regime has stepped up its rhetoric against so-called Taiwan separatists and declared that “diehard” support of Taiwan independence can be punishable by death, and ramped up military and patrol activities in the Taiwan Strait.The Taiwanese government, which previously took a more relaxed approach toward pro-Beijing speech, has recently become more aggressive amid growing concerns over the CCP’s influence campaigns.
On March 10, the NIA asked former President Ma Ying-jeou to attend an hearing after a Chinese student who visited China on the invitation of Ma’s foundation made comments that “belittled” Taiwan.
During a media interview in December last year, the university student referred to Taiwan’s national baseball team as “China’s Taipei team” when congratulating the team for winning its first gold medal in the WBSC Premier12 Championship Game.
After a number of Taiwanese celebrities reposted a line from China’s state-controlled television network CCTV, which says “the only name of Taiwan is the Taiwan Province of China,” the MAC published a statement on March 8, voicing “strongest condemnation.”
The council said the celebrities chose to act as CCP pawns for personal gain.
The MAC also said it will investigate whether their actions were in violation of Taiwan’s law, which prohibits individuals and organizations from influencing Taiwan’s politics or harming Taiwan’s national security and interests in cooperation with the CCP or other PRC military and administrative bodies.
Celebrities who rely on the Chinese market, including many Taiwanese artists, have routinely self-censored and voiced support for the CCP’s stance to avoid sanctions or boycotts in China.
Shortly after Lai’s inauguration in May 2024, some Taiwanese celebrities shared CCTV’s post that said Taiwan was destined to “return to the bosom of its motherland.”
At the time, Lai asked the public to be “understanding,” saying he felt for the artists who were under pressure of the Chinese regime.
On Thursday, following a national security meeting on responses to various CCP tactics, the president announced 17 measures during a press conference, which include more guidance and regulation on Taiwanese artists’ behavior in China.
The MAC said that the government is tightening control on Taiwanese celebrities after some of them said the CCP can otherwise force them to comply.
Only when “Taiwan punishes [such behavior do] artists have room and excuses to refuse,” Liang told reporters on Thursday.
He also told reporters that the government has recently revoked the citizenships of 10 people who hold Chinese identity cards, including an individual named Lin Chin-cheng.
In a documentary published by Pa Chiung in December 2024, Lin was heard telling undercover reporters that the CCP had been incentivizing Taiwanese citizens to apply for Chinese ID cards by giving them subsidies and loans.
Lin, who worked as a middleman in the program, said it was designed specifically for Taiwanese citizens, adding that Hong Kong residents can’t enjoy the same perk because the former British colony has already been handed to the PRC.
Hong Kong “is no longer useful” for the CCP, he said in the video.