Chinese spouse protests Taiwan deportation outside ministry

Taipei, March. 25 (CNA) A Chinese spouse ordered to leave the country by Tuesday for advocating China's "military unification" of Taiwan called on the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to revoke the decision at a press event that drew counterprotesters demanding her deportation.

Liu Zhenya (劉振亞) told a press event outside the MOI in Taipei on Tuesday morning that her main demand was for the MOI to "revoke the administrative action against me."

The deportation order hinges on a series of videos posted by Liu on social media which, according to the Taiwanese authorities, violated regulations governing Chinese residents living in Taiwan.

These include one in which Liu, commenting on a large-scale Chinese military exercise held around Taiwan in May last year, stated: "Maybe when we wake up tomorrow morning, the island will already be covered with red flags. Just the thought of it makes me happy."

Accompanied by her husband -- a Taiwanese citizen -- Liu also denied advocating for China's annexation of Taiwan by force in videos posted to her Douyin account, "Yaya in Taiwan" (亞亞在台灣), which has nearly 500,000 followers.

"I am about to be deported from Taiwan, but I'm willing to stand up and invite everyone to a public debate… I truly do not want a war to occur -- I advocate for peaceful unification," she said at the press event, organized by the Taiwan International Family Association (TIFA), a civic group closely tied to Taiwan's left-wing People's Democratic Party.

Liu added that while many have accused her of promoting "military unification" and calling for her deportation, she has not found any video in which she made such a statement.

In a news release, Liu further elaborated that she was simply analyzing the dangers of military unification, noting, "Every word I said was meant to highlight the terrifying consequences of military unification."

During the hour-long press event, comments from Liu and TIFA members were repeatedly interrupted by protesters led by social media personality Pa Chiung (八炯).

A crowd of around 50 shouted slogans demanding Liu's deportation and opposing her political views, including "Go back to China!" and "We don't oppose Chinese spouses, only military unification."

Some TIFA members shouted back at the protesters, and several verbal standoffs broke out between the two sides, with police stepping in to keep them separated. No physical confrontations were reported.

By the end of the event, a TIFA representative said the group decided to wrap up after the MOI failed to send a representative to accept their petition. Liu later boarded a taxi with her husband after being escorted by police, while protesters continued shouting at them as they left.

According to the National Immigration Agency (NIA), which operates under the MOI, Liu had made statements on her social media account that violated regulations governing Chinese residents living in Taiwan.

The Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area states that a Chinese national "may be deported, or ordered to depart within 10 days" under circumstances including "being considered threat [sic] to the national or social stability based on sufficient facts."

According to an NIA statement on March 15, Liu's remarks "advocated the elimination of our country's sovereignty" and are "not tolerated by [Taiwanese] society."

The NIA also said that Liu, who received a deportation order on March 15, must leave Taiwan before Wednesday or she will be forcefully deported.

Before her family-based residence certificate was canceled on March 12, Liu had been a resident of Taiwan based on her marriage to a Taiwanese citizen. She has three children, all of whom were born in Taiwan.