A mainland Chinese exchange student at National Taiwan University posted a forced-perspective image appearing to pinch President Lai Ching-te’s head, had his entry permit revoked and was deported on October 16, with a five-year bar on returning. The legal basis and the limits of free speech are now being debated.
According to the United Daily News (udn), the student, surnamed Wang, came to National Taiwan University through an exchange program with a sister school. Using footage of President Lai at the closing ceremony of the Taiwan Bridge Program, he made a forced-perspective photo that looked as if he were pinching Lai’s head, posted it on Douyin with the caption ‘Little Lai Ching-te, taken down’, and used an account the udn gave as ‘nineteen-year-old drummer wants to play ad’.
광고 문의 · 300×250Netizens said the post challenged Taiwan’s sovereignty, took screenshots and reported it to the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC). The udn reported that the post also carried hashtags about unification and the one-China principle. Wang deleted it and issued an apology that said he had no plan to harm anyone physically, although we could not obtain the full text of the statement.
The National Immigration Agency, after consulting the Ministry of Education and the MAC, revoked his entry permit and ordered him to leave. The legal basis cited is Article 12 of the Regulations Governing Permission for People of the Mainland Area to Enter the Taiwan Area, under which a mainland visitor engaging in improper conduct that violates the principle of equal dignity may have a permit revoked. The agency stressed that Taiwan is a free, democratic society that respects diverse views but that mainland visitors must still obey its laws. Wang was sent back to Shanghai on October 16 and may not apply to enter for five years.
The KMT called the penalty excessive. Chen Yi-hsin, director of its Culture and Communication Committee, conceded the video was indeed inappropriate but asked whether deportation plus a five-year ban was too heavy, adding that the president’s face should not matter more than democracy and saying the move ‘shames Taiwan’s democracy’. Legislator Lin Pei-hsiang said threatening speech should be distinguished from political satire that merely displeases the president. National Taiwan University said the matter was handled according to law and that it values free speech, which should be exercised with respect for others.
The other side was also reported. The udn said figures in the DPP-aligned camp argue that national-security bottom lines cannot be compromised. Straits Exchange Foundation Secretary-General Lo Wen-chia said the foundation respects the authorities’ decision and hopes it will not affect exchanges by mainland students, whom Taiwan continues to welcome, while the MAC declined to comment. Wang was also reported to have said he found Lai ‘cute’ and meant it as doll-style mischief, believing Taiwan protects free speech, but that is his own account and cannot be verified.
In sum, the questions are how far the ‘equal dignity’ provision reaches and whether the agency’s penalty was proportionate. How the government explains the line between a joke and a security threat, and whether it applies the rule consistently in later cases, will decide whether this is a one-off or a precedent.
