The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday rebuffed local opinion polls that showed an apparent increase in the number of people backing "one country, two systems."
Newly released figures from official polls reveal a far lower number of Taiwanese who back Chinese rule under the "one country, two systems," according to the council.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
Council vice chairman Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) attributed the discrepancy in the figures to different methods employed by respective organizations.
"Only 13.3 percent of respondents back the `one country, two systems' proposal to end the cross-strait dilemma, down 2.8 percentage points from three months ago," Lin said, conceding that the dip falls within an acceptable margin of error.
Two major Chinese-language newspapers, the United Daily News and the China Times, and the TVBS cable company recently all put the figure at more than 30 percent -- fueling concerns that more and more people were becoming disappointed with the DPP government.
Lin, the senior China policy advisor, said he failed to discern such a trend from the statistics, adding that an overwhelming number of the people, around 80 percent, still prefer the status quo.
Without questioning the credibility of private surveys, he called attention to the wording used in polls, which he suggested might account for their widely differing results.
The council poll, which has been carried out since January 1991 on an irregular basis, consistently asks people whether they would agree to Chinese rule under the "one country, two systems" arrangement according to which the Republic of China would no longer exist.
The United Daily News, on the other hand, asked whether its respondents would accept one country, two systems as a peaceful means to end the turmoil across the Strait. Of the 1,035 polled by the paper, 33 percent responded favorably to the idea, and both the New York Times and Washington Post, among others, ran stories quoting the figure.
Whereas the council derives its findings from face-to-face interviews, the local media rely on telephone inquiries, according to documents provided by the council.
But Lin pointed out that public opinion is easily swayed by current events.
"Since the [latest] survey was conducted between July 6 and July 7, the impact of China's successful bid to host the 2008 Olympics remains to be seen," Lin said.
However, he predicted that it would be less likely for China to use military aggression against Taiwan in the run-up to the games in 2008, as the International Olympic Committee can always revoke the privilege.
Without elaborating, Lin also said the prospect for the resumption of cross-strait dialogue may increase. Beijing has refused official talks with Taiwan in an obvious bid to isolate President Chen Shui-bian (
The same council poll also showed that over 56.8 percent expressed support for stiffer government control on China-bound investment while 23.8 percent believed more flexibility was desirable.
With a sample size of of 1,600 aged between 20 and 69, the poll indicated that 31 percent considered it urgent for the government to mend ties with China, and an equal number, 30 percent, gave top priority to pursuing diplomatic relations with other countries.
In addition, some 35 percent described the present state of cross-strait exchanges as ideal, with 20 percent tagging the pace as too slow and another 17 percent saying it was too quick.
"When China sounds more hawkish, the people of Taiwan tend to react in kind," Lin said, reiterating that Chen has continued to express goodwill and that the council bases its China policy on the president's speeches.
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