How Chinese Influencers Became a Hot Topic in Taiwan

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan's decision to expel three Chinese influencers over controversial videos has sparked discussion in Taiwan. The concerns range from the limits of free speech, to the necessity of outlawing propaganda for war and tightening immigration rules for Chinese citizens.

Transcript

00:00Last month, a Chinese influencer living in Taiwan known as Yaya made headlines

00:05after immigration authorities revoked her residency permit

00:08over videos she posted on social media,

00:10which officials say advocate the unification of China and Taiwan by force.

00:15Yaya was ordered to leave Taiwan, where she has a Taiwanese husband and three children,

00:20and she departed just hours before her deportation deadline.

00:30The decision to revoke Yaya's residency was based on regulations governing Chinese citizens living in Taiwan.

00:43Those rules say a Chinese citizen can be ordered to leave if they threaten national security or social stability,

00:49which officials say Yaya did, with speech like this.

01:01The country must adopt a non-peaceful approach and other necessary measures to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

01:08China's unification of Taiwan by force doesn't need any other reason.

01:12Yaya defended herself, saying the decision violated her right to free speech,

01:16and later insisting that she never spoke in favor of unification by military force.

01:21But officials saw her remarks differently.

01:24We are talking about the unification of Taiwan by force.

01:29In our opinion, this is not a guarantee of freedom of speech.

01:33As you know, in Article 20 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,

01:38it says that the so-called war of persuasion is prohibited.

01:44Yaya's case, and the cases of two other Chinese influencers who were also ordered to leave for similar reasons,

01:50have sparked debate within Taiwan.

01:52Even spilling over onto the streets.

01:58Many are angry at Yaya's comments and support the government's decision to force her to leave.

02:03But others have raised questions on the basis of free speech.

02:07This law professor says Taiwan's constitutional court rulings have set a precedent

02:11that for something to be outside the bounds of freedom of expression, it needs to pose a clear and present danger.

02:17Yaya's social media posts, he argues, didn't reach that level.

02:22I think at best, it's because people don't like it.

02:26It won't cause, lead to, unification.

02:31Whether or not there is unification has nothing to do with what she said.

02:35It has nothing to do with it.

02:37Her content is bad. I hate it.

02:40I hate it.

02:41But freedom of speech is guaranteed.

02:43You have this right.

02:44Members of the opposition Kuomintang have also questioned the decision.

02:48As have 75 scholars, who recently co-signed an open letter

02:52accusing the government of suppressing free speech.

02:55But others argue freedom of speech has nothing to do with this issue at all.

03:19Li Mingzhe, a Taiwanese democracy activist,

03:23was imprisoned in China for five years on charges of subversion,

03:27believed to be because of statements he made online while he was in Taiwan.

03:31He says it's important to think about Yaya's case in the context of China,

03:35which claims Taiwan's freedom of expression.

03:37He says it's important to think about Yaya's case in the context of China,

03:41which claims Taiwan's freedom of expression.

03:43He says it's important to think about Yaya's case in the context of China,

03:47which claims Taiwan as its territory

03:49and has threatened to take Taiwan by force if it considers necessary,

03:52stepping up military drills around the country in recent years.

04:13In the wake of these Chinese influencers' cases,

04:15several groups petitioned for stricter immigration policies

04:18for the Chinese spouses of Taiwanese citizens,

04:21asking the government to extend the number of years

04:23they need to live in Taiwan before they can naturalize.

04:26The cases also led to heated exchanges of words

04:29between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait

04:31at a time when relations are already tense.

04:34China's Taiwan Affairs Office accused Taipei of fabricating crimes

04:38to bully Chinese spouses

04:40and called its separation of cross-strait families inhumane.

04:44But in a statement, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council,

04:47which manages relations with China, defended its decisions,

04:50saying they were made based on the law

04:52and that outsiders are not allowed to use Taiwan's freedom of speech

04:55to harm Taiwan.

04:57If the same thing happened in China, they said,

05:00these influencers would have long been arrested and sentenced,

05:03citing cases like that of democracy activist Li Mingzhe

05:06as well as Li Enhe,

05:08a Taiwan-based publisher known by his pen name, Fucha,

05:11who published books critical of Beijing

05:13and was recently sentenced in China to three years in prison

05:16for inciting secession.

05:18By comparison, the council said,

05:20Chinese influencers who broke Taiwan's laws

05:23were simply forced to leave.

05:25Some, including human rights groups,

05:27are advocating for Taiwan to pass its own law,

05:30specifically outlawing hate speech or advocating for war.

05:41According to Article 20 of the Constitution,

05:44we need to pass a law to ban such speech.

05:47I'm not against passing a law to regulate such things,

05:51but you have to be very careful

05:54to precisely define what's so-called propaganda for war,

06:01racial hatred.

06:03You have to be very careful,

06:05otherwise you're violating freedom of speech.

06:07Such a law may make future decisions clearer,

06:10leaving less room for debate.

06:12During this time, Taiwan has seen not just hatred

06:15directed towards the Chinese influencers who were expelled,

06:18but also towards Chinese citizens living in Taiwan generally,

06:21which government officials have been quick to denounce.

06:24Shi says this kind of turmoil

06:26could ultimately play into China's hands.

06:41This all comes as Taiwan is facing

06:44what the government calls growing Chinese espionage,

06:47infiltration, and propaganda,

06:49and the question of how to combat these threats

06:52while preserving the nation's hard-won freedoms.

06:55Patrick Chen, John Su, P.J. Chuang, and Kim Jong-un

06:58have all spoken out against the government,

07:01saying that the Chinese government

07:03is not doing its job.

07:06Patrick Chen, John Su, P.J. Chuang, and Keynes Cuaranta

07:09for Taiwan Plus.

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