According to a poll released Aug. 21 by the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council, the majority of people surveyed support the cross-strait status quo and oppose China’s attempts to denigrate Taiwan.
Conducted Aug. 14-18 by telephone, the survey involved 1,075 individuals aged over 20 countrywide. It had an error margin of just under 3 percent and a confidence level of 95 percent.
The survey showed that 84 percent of respondents object to China’s “one country, two systems” approach, while 72 percent disapprove of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China. More than 86 percent support government policy on maintaining the status quo, with 83 percent emphasizing that the future of Taiwan should be decided by its 23 million people.
Around 66 percent of those surveyed think that China is stepping up infiltration campaigns against Taiwan; 75 percent believe civil servants, military personnel and teachers should not possess Chinese identification documents; 66 percent support prior approval for such personnel to visit China, Hong Kong and Macao; and 67 percent support enhanced scrutiny and management of Chinese people who intend to visit Taiwan for professional exchanges.
The MAC said the cross-strait tension stems from Beijing’s insistence on addressing cross-strait issues through a rigid political approach and its unwillingness to face the fact that the two sides of the strait are not subordinate to each other. It called on Beijing to look squarely at the cross-strait status quo and the mainstream public view in Taiwan, and engage with Taiwan in a benign and friendly manner.
The government will continue to implement the 17 strategies unveiled by President Lai Ching-te in March this year to counter China's infiltration, as well as strengthen Taiwan's resilience to safeguard sovereignty and the democratic way of life, the MAC added. (SFC-E)
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