2nd Chinese 'military unification' influencer leaves Taiwan

Taipei, March 31 (CNA) One of two Chinese nationals facing forcible deportation on Tuesday after advocating China's "military unification" with Taiwan left the country from Taipei's Songshan Airport on Monday.

Known by her online pseudonym En Qi (恩綺) on the Chinese social media platform Douyin, the influencer boarded a flight to Chengdu that took off at around 6.35 p.m. -- just hours before forcible deportation proceedings could have removed her from the country in accordance with Taiwanese law.

Another Chinese national known by her Douyin nickname Xiao Wei (小微) was also expected to leave Taiwan on Monday, but did not show up at the airport in time to board the last flight of the day to China.

En Qi and Xiao Wei, identified by their surnames Zhao (趙) and Zhang (張) by the authorities, "posted videos on the internet advocating military unification and invasion," according to a news release from Taiwan's National Immigration Agency (NIA) on Monday.

The NIA confirmed that En Qi had already left Taiwan but Xiao Wei was still in the country.

As of Monday night at 8:30 p.m., Xiao Wei was believed to be at her residence in New Taipei, where journalists and activists were gathered outside.

Both women had separately posted videos online in which they voiced ethnonationalist slogans used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to justify its territorial claim on Taiwan.

The NIA revoked the foreign nationals' family-based residence permits and ordered them to leave the country on Monday at the latest over posts that the NIA said advocated for China to annex Taiwan using military force.

However, both Chinese nationals, whose residence had been based on their marriages to Taiwanese citizens, denied they supported "military unification" and filed separate appeals against their deportation orders.

En Qi and Xiao Wei's deportation orders came after another Chinese national and online influencer, Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), was told to leave Taiwan.

Known by her Douyin account name "Yaya in Taiwan" (亞亞在台灣), Liu left Taiwan on March 25 after also having her residence permit revoked by the NIA for advocating "military unification."

Liu appealed the agency's decision, but the Taipei High Administrative Court ruled on Friday that the Chinese national had engaged in "war propaganda" and rejected her petition to suspend the deportation order.

Taiwan's Supreme Administration Court upheld the lower court's decision.

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."