A Chinese influencer left Taiwan on Tuesday after her residency permit was revoked for advocating that China unify the island by military means.
Her departure comes after President Lai Ching-te called China a “foreign hostile force” and proposed measures to combat Chinese espionage, infiltration and efforts to weaken Taiwanese people’s sense of identity.
Immigration officers accompanied Liu Zhenya to the departure gate at Songshan Airport in Taipei, after her petition against a government order to leave was rejected by a court.
The National Immigration Agency revoked Liu’s residency permit this month after she sparked controversy by promoting China’s unification of Taiwan using force on her Douyin account, the Chinese version of TikTok.
Liu has “caused significant public concern and posed potential threats to national security and social stability” with her advocacy, the agency said.
“I leave not because I think I am wrong, but because I respect Taiwan’s legal procedures,” Liu told reporters at the airport before her departure, amid both cheers and boos.
“I hope that when I apply to be united with (my family) later, the National Immigration Agency and the Ministry of the Interior will act in accordance with the law instead of blocking me.”
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control.
Liu, who said she is from the Chinese province of Hunan, acquired Taiwanese residency through marriage and had been living on the island for over ten years with her husband and three children.
She has nearly 500,000 followers on her Douyin account.
Liu has justified her comments by saying she was analysing the dangers of “military unification” by Beijing and she supported “peaceful unification”.
However, nearly 90 percent Taiwanese wish to maintain the status quo, while only 1.1 percent support unification as soon as possible, according to a December poll by the National Chengchi University in Taipei.
Beside Liu, Taiwan’s government has ordered two other Chinese influencers to leave the island over their comments advocating unification with China by force in videos posted on Douyin.
Rights group the Taiwan International Family Association has criticised the immigration agency for taking “excessive action” to demand Liu leave and accusing it of breaking up her family.
