While concerns about espionage infiltration and propaganda from China have intensified, the debate within Taiwanese society regarding strict investigations into individuals holding both Taiwanese and Chinese ID documents has further escalated distrust and anger. Those born in China who have married Taiwanese citizens and are residing in Taiwan, known as “spouses from Mainland” (大陸配偶, or 陸配), are under particular scrutiny. Amid rising distrust, disinformation has emerged, further inflaming doubts among Taiwanese about Chinese spouses’ loyalty to Taiwan. However, these concerns and the Taiwanese government’s enforcement of rules against those violating laws that prohibit Taiwanese or Chinese from holding dual IDs have also provided fuel for disinformation promoted by the Chinese propaganda machine.
The wave of scrutiny from the government and society regarding individuals possessing both Taiwanese and Chinese ID documents began with a documentary released by Taiwanese YouTubers Pa Chiung (八炯) and Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源) in December 2024. In this film, the influencers exposed methods used in the Chinese government’s information operations, including enticing Taiwanese citizens to seek Chinese residency for financial incentives. Interviewees in the documentary indicated that around 100,000 Taiwanese held both Taiwanese and Chinese ID cards, which violates Taiwanese laws that forbid citizens from having Chinese household registrations and Chinese passports (Note 1).
The situation intensified when influencer Liu Zhenya, a Chinese national married to a Taiwanese man, posted a controversial YouTube video advocating for military action from China to unify Taiwan, sparking public outrage among Taiwanese. Subsequently, the National Immigration Agency deported Liu back to China on the grounds that she made remarks that “threatened national security and social stability” and breached Taiwanese laws (Note 2). Alongside Liu, the Taiwanese government also expelled two other Chinese spouses for similar reasons. Moreover, the government has initiated investigations into Taiwanese citizens who hold both Taiwanese citizenship and Chinese passports or household registrations (戶口).
The trend of disinformation about the numbers and the profiling of Taiwanese individuals who possess Chinese IDs started to escalate in March when Chinese spouse Liu Zhenya’s video ignited a heated debate about national security, national identity, and free speech issues in Taiwanese society. Some of the disinformation directly targeted Liu, alleging that she exploited Taiwan’s legal system to obtain Taiwanese IDs for herself, her parents, and their children in China, allowing them to receive Taiwan’s health benefits. These false information pieces also claimed that Liu’s case revealed a scheme by the pro-unification Kuomintang Party (the Nationalist Party), which has continually revised the law to expedite the process for Chinese individuals to obtain Taiwanese IDs and benefit from Taiwanese services. However, the fact is that neither Liu nor her relatives (except for her child, whose father is a Taiwanese national and was born in Taiwan) held Taiwanese IDs.
While terms like “loyalty” and “Taiwanese identity” were absent from the disinformation targeting Chinese spouses, the underlying theme of questioning the targets’ allegiance to Taiwan was prevalent in this wave of disinformation.
Disinformation producers also seized the opportunity to cast doubts on the patriotism of supporters of the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). One false piece claimed that “President Lai ordered a thorough investigation to find out the Taiwanese holding Chinese IDs. The findings indicated that no members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have a Chinese ID; nevertheless, 368,990 KMT members and 19,320 TPP members do.” Some messages propagating this claim further accused the KMT and TPP of attempting to betray Taiwan and warned the Taiwanese public to be cautious about those who frequently travel to China. Additionally, another piece of fabricated information spread on Facebook and LINE suggested that individuals reporting Taiwanese citizens with Chinese IDs to the government could receive a reward of $200,000 (approximately 6,600 USD). The disinformation also provided phone numbers for reporting.
In fact, currently, Taiwanese laws do not require political parties to disclose the citizenship status of their members. Consequently, the government has no means of determining how many members of political parties hold dual citizenship. In response to a query from the Taiwan FactCheck Center, the Ministry of Interior clarified that it was investigating approximately 30 cases and had revoked Taiwanese IDs from 10 individuals who also held Chinese IDs, and there is no way they could look into political members’ citizenship. Additionally, the phone number listed in the disinformation post about rewards for reporting Taiwanese Chinese ID holders was fake. It belonged to a private individual who was greatly upset by the influx of reporting calls.
While the Chinese immigrants’ issue caused a commotion in Taiwanese society, other countries, such as the United States and Australia, also faced immigration policy debates that ignited political turmoil, frenzied discussions, and even disinformation.
For instance, during the 2025 Australian federal election, disinformation claiming that the Australian government would expel non-citizens, especially the Chinese living in Australia, rampaged on social media like Rednote. This disinformation also reached Taiwanese and was further utilized in disinformation spread in Taiwan about the deportation of Chinese spouses. A piece circulated on Facebook said, “What Australia is doing can be our reference. Australia revokes the permanent residency of Chinese spouses who have divorced in the past ten years and deports them back to China!”
The Taiwan FactCheck Center found this message to be false, possibly originating in social media accounts in Australia primarily managed by immigration firms. However, Taiwan continued to circulate this disinformation, mistakenly accepting it as official Australian policy. In reality, Australia does not have any policies or plans to expel divorced Chinese spouses residing in the country.
Although much disinformation sought to provoke anxiety and resentment towards Chinese spouses, another strain aimed to create discontent with the Taiwanese government. Following the Taiwanese government’s stricter enforcement of a legal requirement for Chinese spouses to submit evidence of renouncing their Chinese citizenship, Chinese social media platforms like Weibo, Taiwanese influencers, Chinese content farms, and pro-unification Taiwanese media propagated misleading claims about the policy. One of these false claims stated that “140,000 Chinese spouses and their children would lose their Taiwanese household registration if they failed to provide the necessary documents within the deadline,” and labeled the Taiwanese government as “authoritarian” while denouncing the policy as a “hunt to kill.”
In reality, the assertion inflated the actual number of individuals required to submit proof, as the National Immigration Agency indicates that only 10,000 of the 140,000 Chinese spouses living in Taiwan and their children need to provide such documentation. Furthermore, this condition is not a new regulation but rather a long-standing legal requirement.
In the midst of disinformation attacking Taiwanese immigration policies, a fabricated AI-generated video featuring “Elon Musk” was used to spread propaganda. In this clip, “Musk” commented on the expulsion of Chinese spouses from Taiwan, criticizing the Taiwanese government and President Lai Ching-te for separating families and describing the deportation as the government “digging their own grave” and “fostering hatred toward China.”
This video mirrored numerous other AI videos on YouTube, where “Musk” often compared China with other countries while praising its achievements. Typically, the “AI Musk” series begins with “Musk” speaking briefly at the start and end, while the bulk of the footage consists of scenes from different news reports. The Taiwan FactCheck Center found that Musk’s presentation in this video was modified from a 2024 interview in which Tucker Carlson interviewed him.
Additionally, this video was part of the now-removed YouTube channel named “Musk Chat.” All videos from this channel featured the same AI image of Musk, similar background scenes, and consistent content structure. Although this isn’t the first case of Musk’s image being utilized in AI-created videos to promote pro-China propaganda and disinformation, this video still misled Chinese-language viewers and was shared on social media platforms like Facebook and Threads.
The false information surrounding the Taiwanese citizenship revocation debate revealed how disinformation capitalized on tensions between human rights values and national security concerns in Taiwan. These conflicts warrant more debates and discussions. However, before engaging in rational discourse, the potential for dialogue was already undermined by emotional and identity-driven disinformation that created divisions, preventing meaningful conversation. Lessons have demonstrated that fighting false information depends on acknowledging the emotions that malicious actors aim to exploit. While debunking misinformation is crucial, it is just as important to stay alert against emotional and identity manipulation.
Wei-Ping Li is a research fellow at the Taiwan FactCheck Center.
Note 1: According to Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Taiwanese citizens cannot possess household registrations in China or Chinese passports.
Note 2: The law applicable to this case is the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. According to Article 18(5), a person from Mainland China who is considered a threat to national security or social stability based on sufficient facts may be deported.