By Gao Ziqiao | 2025-03-26

China's aggression against Taiwan has extended from military threats to cultural and entertainment fronts.

In early March, many Taiwanese entertainers shared a graphic from China's state-run broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), featuring the message "Taiwan Must Return (to China)" alongside hashtags "#TaiwanProvinceofChina."

The Taiwanese government responded by warning that it would investigate and punish them by law.

The incident originated from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks that "the only reference to the Taiwan region in the United Nations is 'Taiwan, Province of China.'"

Demonstrating 'loyalty'

"Taiwan has never been a country, not in the past, and never in the future," Wang March 7 said at a news conference on the sidelines of the meetings of the National People's Congress.

Shortly after, CCTV published a graphic themed "Taiwan of China Must Return (to China)," urging celebrities to repost it. More than 20 from Taiwan, including Patty Hou, Joe Chen and Michelle Chen, promptly complied to demonstrate their "loyalty."

The following day, CCTV released a "list of Taiwanese entertainers who have reposted (the graphic)" to pressure those who had not. Chinese netizens singled out prominent figures such as Mayday and Jolin Tsai for remaining silent, with some even calling for a "total ban on pro-Taiwan-independence entertainers."

It was not Beijing's first time mobilizing Taiwanese entertainers for political statements.

In 2024, on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, several Taiwanese performers reposted congratulatory messages on Weibo.

However, this time, Taipei decided the content undermined Taiwan's national sovereignty. The Taiwanese government shifted from saying "beggars can't be choosers" previously, with the understanding of the pressures entertainers faced, to issuing a stern condemnation.

Revoking identity cards

Any speech or behavior that undermines national dignity will be regulated by law in response to China's United Front tactics and threats, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said during a March 13 high-level meeting on national security.

The United Front is a Chinese policy that combines threats of war, offers of lucrative cooperation with Chinese businesses and recruitment of pro-Beijing voices in Taiwan.

Lai urged performers to respect Taiwan's national interests and "the feelings of the people on this land."

The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) will investigate whether these entertainers had violated laws by collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese government or the Chinese military or by participating in political advocacy, Chiu Chui-cheng, the minister of MAC, announced multiple times.

"If you want to praise China, stop exploiting your Taiwanese identity," Chiu warned.

Should any entertainers possess Chinese identity cards, the MAC will enforce the law and revoke their Taiwanese identity cards and household registration to stop them from continuously using Taiwanese citizenship for United Front efforts against Taiwan, he said.

"The internal and external pressure the entertainers faced will be greater," Luo Shih-hung, a communication professor at National Chung Cheng University in Chiayi county, Taiwan, told Focus.

As Taiwan's government adopts a less forgiving stance, entertainers pursuing careers in China while making pro-China political statements will face more significant risks and challenges, he said.

Attack tools for hostile countries

Faced with these intensified tactics from Beijing, Taiwan is wary of entertainers and online influencers promoting China's threats.

One such case involved Liu, a Chinese-born spouse residing in Taiwan, who ran the popular TikTok and YouTube channel "Yaya in Taiwan," with 450,000 followers.

Liu drew attention for spreading pro-China messages, including calls for seizing Taiwan. In one video, her daughter shouted to the camera: "I hope the first mission of the Sichuan Ship [Type 076, a Chinese amphibious assault vessel] after its launch is to recover Taiwan."

Following an investigation with an interview, Taiwan's National Immigration Agency ruled that Liu had violated the Cross-Strait Act. Authorities revoked her family-based residence permit in mid-March and ordered her to leave Taiwan within 10 days. She will be barred from applying for a family-based residence permit again for five years.

While some pro-unification Taiwanese lawmakers argued that Liu's remarks fell within the bounds of free speech, Prosecutor Lin Da stressed in an online regarding Liu's case that freedom of speech must have limits.

"If the Republic of China [Taiwan] ceases to exist, how can it protect its citizens' freedom of speech?" Lin said.

Freedom of speech in democratic countries exists for the benefit of democratic stability, Chian Yu-yan, author of Invading the News Desk -- a book about China's infiltration of the Taiwanese press and impact on Taiwan's press freedom -- stated on Facebook while discussing Liu's case.

If influencers become an attack tool for hostile countries and authoritarian regimes, their freedom of speech must be restricted, Chian said.