Limits on freedom of speech tied to Taiwan's survival: Premier Cho

Taipei, March 25 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Tuesday defended the government's decision to expel a Chinese influencer from Taiwan, saying it was to protect the country's sovereignty.

"What we are doing is to protect the sovereignty and dignity of the Republic of China, Taiwan," Cho told local reporters at the Legislature.

"There are limits to freedom of speech, and the limits are the country's survival," Cho said, adding that one could not smear a country while asking for their right to smear the country to be protected.

A democratic country can restrict certain freedoms using "reasonable measures" when national security is threatened, he said, noting that there is precedent for this in the United States.

According to the Executive Yuan, the premier was referring to the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in January that a federal law effectively banning TikTok did not violate the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech.

The law - the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act - was promulgated in April 2024 and provided the legal framework for the U. S. government to address national security concerns regarding TikTok.

The premier's comments were made shortly before Liu Zhenya (劉振亞), a Chinese national who stirred public anger over statements she made on social media, protested against her deportation order outside the National Immigration Agency (NIA) building in Taipei.

According to the NIA, Liu made "unifying Taiwan through military force" statements on her social media account "Yaya in Taiwan" (亞亞在台灣), which has around 400,000 followers on the Chinese social media platform Douyin.

Liu, who has been a resident in Taiwan through her marriage to a Taiwanese citizen and has three children, argued that she did not advocate for Chinese military actions against Taiwan but was simply calling for "peaceful unification."

The NIA on March 15 revoked Liu's family-based residence certificate on grounds that her videos calling for China's annexation of Taiwan through military force risked "endangering national security and social stability."

The NIA's decision was upheld by the Taipei High Administrative Court on March 21.