TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan-based media outlet Master Chain, which stands accused of being a Beijing lackey, has decided to abandon the local market following the passage of the contentious Anti-Infiltration Act on Tuesday (Dec. 31) that aims to counter Chinese influence.

The company issued a statement on its website the same day expressing regret over the passage of the bill “despite outcry from the public” and said it would terminate its operations in Taiwan. Master Chain was the first Taiwan media outlet granted rights to set up an office in China, according to Liberty Times.

Describing the Anti-Infiltration Act as an “evil law,” Master Chain urged the authorities not to use it as a means to persecute individuals conducting cross-strait exchanges. Closing its business in Taiwan will not affect the operations of the Master Chain website, which will continue to introduce Taiwan to the world, it added.

Master Chain has come under public scrutiny over its funding, which is allegedly connected to Chinese enterprises. It has rejected such claims and denied it received special treatment to break into the China market.

Master Chain's recruitment of former top officials from Taiwan’s national security agencies has also fueled suspicions that it could be “red media” serving the interest of Beijing, wrote LTN.