00:00In recent weeks, three Chinese people living in Taiwan have had their residence permits revoked
00:05over posts on social media that immigration officials say advocate for the unification of Taiwan and China by force.
00:12All three became residents by marrying a Taiwanese citizen,
00:15something not uncommon in Taiwan, home to around 300,000 Chinese spouses.
00:21Their statements have sparked anger and controversy within Taiwan.
00:25The Mainland Affairs Council, which manages relations with China,
00:28is asking people not to target other Chinese spouses over these comments.
00:59Authorities first revoked the Chinese influencer known as Yaya in Taiwan's residency around two weeks ago.
01:09Then, last week, two more Chinese people living in Taiwan had their residency permits canceled
01:14after immigration officials concluded that they, too, had posted social media videos promoting unification by force,
01:20pointing to statements they made like, quote,
01:23Chinese flags are painted all over the streets in Taiwan.
01:27Officials say advocating for unification by force violates regulations governing Chinese citizens living in Taiwan,
01:33which say residency can be revoked if they threaten national security or social stability.
01:39And they have cited an international convention to justify their decision,
01:42which prohibits propaganda for war, something they say does not fall within the bounds of freedom of speech.
01:49But one communications expert in Taiwan has questioned a Taipei court's decision to uphold Yaya in Taiwan's punishment,
01:56saying the court did not prove that her comments cause a direct and immediate threat to Taiwan's security.
02:01Legislators from both the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and opposition Kuomintang have also chimed in.
02:19All three Chinese people will now have to leave Taiwan.
02:40Authorities say they'll continue to investigate reports of other Chinese spouses who may have broken the law,
02:46with one eye on how society reacts to the tougher measures.
02:49Ryan Wu and Cadence Cuaranta for Taiwan Plus.
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