The government stands firm in maintaining its decision to deport Chinese-born influencer “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣), Premier Cho Jung-tai (長卓榮) said today, after Yaya yesterday said she would not leave the country by today’s deadline.
Any illegal actions that contravene national security would be strictly handled, with no room for compromise, Cho said in an interview before a meeting at the Legislative Yuan.
The case is being handled by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) in accordance with 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), he said.
Photo: Chen I-kuan, Taipei Times
The MOI has been instructed to adopt a gentle yet resolute approach, to prove to the public that protecting Taiwan’s sovereignty is of the utmost concern, he added.
There are limits on freedom of speech as it cannot compromise Taiwan’s integrity and continued survival, Cho said, citing legal experts.
Residents cannot make remarks that denounce Taiwan and still expect to be afforded protection, he said.
Democratic countries have set similar precedents, placing limits on free speech in the interest of national security and public interest, as has been ruled by the US Supreme Court, he added.
Yaya said yesterday in an interview with TＶＢＳ that she has “no intention” to leave and had not booked a flight ticket.
The social media influencer, real name Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), had her dependent-based residency permit revoked earlier this month after comments she made online about “unifying Taiwan using military force.”
Yaya’s account has nearly 400,000 followers on the Chinese social media platform Douyin.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) called her in for questioning on March 4 regarding “reunification” comments, and on March 12 revoked her residency permit.
The NIA planned to schedule her deportation within ten days, following a grace period granted to put her affairs in order.
Yaya, the spouse of a Taiwanese national, would not be allowed to reapply for a dependent-based residence permit for five years, it said.
She has no intention of leaving Taiwan because she believes she has done nothing wrong, and the false accusation is an attack on her character, she said yesterday.
Her departure would only prove that she had accepted this “unjust coercion,” she added.
Liu intends to file a countersuit, stating that she personally believes in the peaceful reunification of China and Taiwan and did not intend to promote the use of military force, she said.
Her video instead explained the possible risks of annexing Taiwan by force, she added.
Yaya is concerned for the well-being of her three children, she said, “If I leave [Taiwan], my children would not only lose their mother but face unnecessary harm.”
China has stated its support for Yaya’s refusal to leave Taiwan.
Additional reporting by CNA.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
RSS