Taiwan deports Chinese student over 'pinching' video of President Lai

Entry permit revoked and five-year ban imposed over Douyin post carrying reunification slogans

By LineZotpaper

Published21 October 2026

Read Time2 min

Taiwan has deported a Chinese exchange student who posted a video making it appear he was pinching President Lai Ching-te during a speech at National Taiwan University. The National Immigration Agency revoked the student's entry permit on October 16 and banned him from Taiwan for five years.

The student, identified publicly by his surname Wang, filmed Mr Lai from the audience while the president was speaking at the university. Using forced perspective, an optical illusion technique, Wang positioned his fingers in front of the camera so the footage appeared to show him pinching the president.

The video was posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, with the caption: "Lai Ching-te is right here. Isn't it your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." It was tagged with phrases including "cross-strait reunification", "oppose separatist acts seeking Taiwan independence" and "reunification is inevitable", slogans common in Chinese political rhetoric. Wang has since deleted the video, apologised and cleared his Douyin account.

Taiwan's National Immigration Agency said the student's permit was revoked for violating the "principle of equality and dignity" in regulations governing mainland Chinese people entering Taiwan. "Our country is [a] democratic, free, and pluralistic society, respecting different opinions and normal exchanges; however, people from mainland China coming to Taiwan must still comply with our laws and related regulations," the agency said in a statement.

The National Taiwan University said the student came from a partner university and that it provided all necessary assistance during the authorities' inquiry. "We respect differing opinions on public policies, as rational dialogue is the cornerstone of a democratic society," a spokesperson said, adding that the incident should serve as a reminder that free speech must come with mutual respect for others.

The deportation has drawn questions from some quarters. Kuomintang politician Lin Pei-hsiang asked whether deporting the student over a social media post infringed freedom of speech, and suggested political satire should be differentiated from a real threat. Lo Wen-jia, secretary-general of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, said he respected the immigration agency's decision but hoped the incident would not affect future mainland exchange students coming to Taiwan.

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it back. Mr Lai, whom Beijing labels a separatist, has repeatedly said Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The deportation sets a precedent for how Taiwan treats mainland visitors and exchange students who engage in political commentary, and could chill academic exchanges between the two sides.
The incident injects another irritant into already tense cross-strait relations, with Beijing claiming Taiwan as part of its territory and Taipei insisting on its sovereignty.
It highlights Taiwan's balancing act between democratic free speech and entry rules that require "equality and dignity" from mainland visitors.

Background

China has long regarded Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring it under its control. President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing labels a separatist, has repeatedly declared Taiwan a sovereign, independent country. Mainland Chinese visitors, including exchange students, enter Taiwan under separate regulations that impose conditions beyond those faced by other foreign visitors. The incident grew from a social media post made during a presidential appearance at a university.

Key Perspectives

Taiwan's National Immigration Agency: Maintains the deportation was lawful, arguing the post violated the principle of equality and dignity and that mainlanders must comply with Taiwan's laws and regulations. Critics of the decision: Kuomintang politician Lin Pei-hsiang questioned whether a social media post warrants deportation, arguing political satire should not be treated as a real threat and that the move could infringe freedom of speech. Straits Exchange Foundation: Secretary-general Lo Wen-jia respects the ruling but hopes it will not discourage mainland exchange students from coming to Taiwan in the future.

What to Watch

Whether Beijing responds publicly, which would raise the diplomatic stakes of a relatively small incident.
Whether Taiwanese universities or mainland partner institutions reconsider exchange arrangements in light of the case.
Any further political debate in Taiwan over the standards applied to mainland visitors' speech.

Sources

Chinese student deported from Taiwan after controversial 'pinching' video · Just In

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

Partly supportedTaiwan deported the Chinese student over his pinching video.Just In: “An exchange student from China has been deported from Taiwan after posting a controversial video of himself using an illusion technique to make it look like he is pinching the Taiwanese president.”
Partly supportedThe National Immigration Agency revoked the student's permit on October 16.Just In: “On October 16, the National Immigration Agency of Taiwan confirmed the student had been deported after his Taiwan entry permit was revoked.”
SupportedThe student was banned from Taiwan for five years.Just In: “The student has been banned from entering Taiwan for five years.”
Partly supportedWang's caption read: “Lai Ching-te is right here. Isn't it your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”Just In: “In the caption of the video posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, Wang wrote: "Lai Ching-te is right here. Isn't it your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."”
SupportedWang used forced perspective to make it appear he was pinching Lai while Lai spoke at National Taiwan University.Just In: “Lai Ching-te was speaking at the National Taiwan University last week when the student, identified publicly via his surname Wang, filmed the president from the audience. Wang used an optical illusion technique , forced perspective, and put his fingers in front of the camera so it looked like he was pinching the president.”
SupportedThe Douyin post included tags about cross-strait reunification, opposing Taiwan independence and reunification being inevitable.Just In: “He also tagged the post with "cross-strait reunification", "oppose separatist acts seeking Taiwan independence" and "reunification is inevitable"”
SupportedThe agency said the permit was revoked for violating the principle of equality and dignity in entry regulations.Just In: “This was due to violating the "principle of equality and dignity", part of regulations governing mainland Chinese people's entry into Taiwan, the agency said .”
SupportedWang deleted the video, apologised and cleared his Douyin account.Just In: “Wang has since deleted the video, apologised, and all content on his Douyin account has been cleared.”
SupportedThe university said Wang came from a partner university and it assisted during the authorities' inquiry.Just In: “The National Taiwan University told the ABC the deported student was from a partner university, and it provided all necessary assistance during the authorities' inquiry.”
SupportedKMT politician Lin Pei-hsiang questioned whether the deportation infringed freedom of speech and said satire should be distinguished from a real threat.Just In: “Local media reported that Kuomintang (KMT) politician Lin Pei-hsiang questioned the deportation decision, asking whether deporting the student over a social media post infringed on freedom of speech. He suggested that political satire should be differentiated from a real threat.”
SupportedLo Wen-jia said he respected the agency's decision and hoped the incident would not affect future mainland exchange students coming to Taiwan.Just In: “Lo Wen-jia, secretary-general of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation, said he respected the decision of the immigration agency, but he hoped that the incident would not affect future mainland exchange students to Taiwan.”
SupportedLai has said Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country, and Beijing labels him a separatist.Just In: “China sees the self-ruled island of Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it back. Labelled as a separatist by Beijing, Mr Lai has repeatedly said the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country.”