The Chinese spouses embroiled in deportation controversies were likely driven by political ideology, directives from superiors and financial incentives as influencers, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Vice Chairman Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said in an interview published yesterday by the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times).
China has stepped up its “united front” tactics by targeting multiple channels — including the business sector, non-governmental organizations, political parties and people such as Chinese spouses — to infiltrate Taiwan and influence local leaders, Luo said.
“Taiwan has about 360,000 Chinese spouses, and some of them are either carrying out political missions or have bypassed regulations to reside in Taiwan,” he said.
Photo: Chen Chia-jui, Taipei Times
The three YouTubers whose residency permits were revoked last month — Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), also known as “Yaya in Taiwan” (亞亞在台灣), Xiaowei (小微) and Enqi (恩綺) — are a minority, he said.
“Most Chinese spouses who marry Taiwanese citizens leave their hometowns behind, and many go on to raise children and take up jobs as they settle into life here,” Luo said. “They share the same aspirations — to build a good family life, ensure better education for their children, and pursue improved living standards and a brighter future.”
However, some stir controversy, Luo said.
“We have seen Yaya, who in her videos advocated using military force to annex Taiwan, and said she is happy to see Chinese troops conducting drills targeting Taiwan. She is in a minority among Chinese spouses, but why she is so brazen in her activities?” Luo said.
“First, she might have a strong guiding political ideology, and then decided to act out her personal beliefs,” he said.
“Second, she could have a work assignment or a need for the Chinese Communist Party’s ‘united front’ ploys, and had to carry out special missions for Beijing,” he added.
“Third, her online videos and live streaming could reap money or good financial gains,” he said.
Luo said he took the time to closely examine the content produced by the three influencers.
“They produced a vast amount of videos and text. Most Chinese spouses do not have so much spare time, but they seem quite professional and dedicated to their work. One of them has a young daughter, and she could name Chinese military weapons with significant detail, like an expert, so this is very unusual,” he said.
When a Chinese national enters Taiwan and obtains a provisional residency permit through marriage or family ties, but then engages in unlawful activities or poses a threat to national security or social stability, the government has the right to revoke their residency and issue a deportation order, Luo said.
Similar procedures exist in other countries, he said, citing as an example Edward Sun (孫安佐), the son of a Taiwanese celebrity couple, who was studying in the US and made remarks about using assault weapons on campus. Sun was arrested and detained for more than 200 days before he was deported.
“It was not so in past years, but now China has been blatantly pushing ‘united front’ tactics and propaganda against Taiwan,” he said.
“It was rare to invoke Article 18 [of the Immigration Act (入出國及移民法)],” he said, but the “government has conducted surveillance and is aware of China’s infiltration efforts and political influence.”
“China is no longer hiding it, but doing it out in the open. So for Taiwanese to see the actions of these Chinese spouses, most of our citizens cannot accept their continued residence in Taiwan,” Luo said.
Under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), immigration authorities can bar foreign nationals from entering or remaining in Taiwan if they have a criminal record or are deemed a potential threat to public security.
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