A high percentage of respondents in a survey released yesterday appeared to be satisfied with the country’s participation at this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer, but a majority was unsatisfied with having to use the title “Chinese Taipei.”
A majority of respondents also considered China the main obstacle to Taiwan pursuing more participation in international organizations.
The poll, conducted by the ERA Poll Center for National Chengchi University’s (NCCU) Center for Foreign Policy Studies, surveyed 1,072 Taiwanese above the age of 20 between May 6 and May 9.
About 74.5 percent of respondents said they were aware Taiwan had been granted observer status at the WHA, with 74 percent saying the breakthrough would help promote the country’s international status.
A total of 37.4 percent said they were satisfied with the country’s participation at the WHA under the name “Chinese Taipei,” while 37.8 percent said the title was “unsatisfying, but acceptable.”
Fifteen percent were not satisfied with the development.
Less than 10 percent said that “Chinese Taipei” was an appropriate designation for the country in international organizations; 36.9 percent said they preferred the title “Taiwan”; 22.3 percent supported the title “ROC [Republic of China]”; and 25.9 percent said they preferred “any name that could help Taiwan gain entry.”
As many as 62 percent said they found cross-strait relations had become “more peaceful” since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) came into office on May 20 last year.
However, 60.9 percent regarded China as “the biggest obstacle to Taiwan developing foreign relations.”
About 32 percent described the Chinese government’s attitude toward Taiwan as “unfriendly,” while 41.8 percent said otherwise.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard