IN THE AIR and seas around Taiwan, China’s armed forces launched large-scale military exercises on April 1st, warning that the “reunification” of the self-ruling island—by military means if necessary—was “an unstoppable trend”. On the same day, Taiwan’s government took action against what it regards as the growing threat from within. Zhao Chan, a woman from the mainland whose online posts promoted Taiwan’s forced takeover by China, was deported. “I love the party and love my country,” she shouted as journalists jostled around her at Taipei’s airport. “Have I done anything wrong?”
Ms Zhao, who calls herself “Xiaowei” online, often posts videos featuring a large Chinese flag, saying things such as: “Come on, my fellow Taiwanese, let’s unite and go home together!!!” She is one of three social-media influencers—all of them women from the Chinese mainland who had married Taiwanese men—who were told in March they were no longer welcome to live on the island. Also ejected was Liu Zhenya (pictured), who liked to make videos of her daughter singing patriotic Chinese songs in front of iconic buildings in Taipei. “Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow morning and find the entire island filled with five-star red flags,” Ms Liu had said in a video cheering another Chinese military drill last year. “The very thought fills my heart with joy.”
Taiwan’s national immigration agency decided last month that posts such as these were “advocating military aggression” and “promoting the elimination of our nation’s sovereignty”. It revoked the trio’s residency permits and declared that they would have to leave the country within ten days. Ms Liu appealed; she said Taiwan’s government was wrong to separate her from her husband and children. But she left before she could be kicked out, as did Zhang Yan, a third influencer. Ms Zhao was the last to go, having handed herself into authorities the day after the deadline to depart expired.
The deportations have sparked a debate about free speech in Taiwan. Some say the government has gone too far. If any of the influencers was actually helping the Chinese armed forces attack or infiltrate Taiwan, that would be a security threat, wrote Bruce Liao, a law professor at National Chengchi University. “But if she is only talking about it then no matter how disgusting it is, it’s still just speech.” Such freedoms are what distinguish Taiwan’s democracy from authoritarian regimes, he added.
Others retort that Taiwan needs to rebalance freedom of speech with national-security concerns. Chinese influencers in Taiwan have sometimes made videos echoing official Chinese propaganda. As it staged the latest wargames around Taiwan, China’s military declared Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s president, a “parasite”. It published a crude cartoon depicting Mr Lai as a green maggot, dangled from a pair of chopsticks while Taiwan burned below.
“We are living in a time when a Chinese blockade is imminent,” and yet pro-Chinese propaganda is flooding Taiwan’s media, says Raymond Sung of the Taiwan National Security Institute. Cracking down on Chinese influencers may only be the government’s “first step” in building a “unified national will to stand against the first wave of Chinese attack,” he says. Muzzling Taiwanese who support Chinese invasion could be next. The justice ministry has said it is thinking about new legislation after public consultations.
If the deported influencers were hoping for a hero’s welcome on the mainland, they may be in for a shock. They have already drawn ridicule from Chinese netizens, who accuse them of milking patriotism for money while enjoying all the benefits of living in Taiwan. “Now they’re getting what they wished for: a return to the motherland’s embrace,” said one influencer inside China. “They can plant red flags here, too.” ■