More than half of Taiwanese support the signing of an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China, although slightly less than half have concerns about the government’s ability to protect Taiwan’s rights, a survey by Global Views magazine’s Survey Research Center showed yesterday.
The telephone survey, which polled 1,022 people from Monday to Wednesday, showed that 54.4 percent said an ECFA should enhance economic exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. However, 49 percent said they did not trust the government’s ability to to protect their rights and prevent any negative impact an ECFA would have on local businesses.
A total of 55.4 percent of respondents did not think an ECFA with China would lead to unification. Forty-four percent supported government efforts to seek closer economic cooperation with China, while 27.8 percent disapproved.
The poll showed that 51.2 percent of people said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should have a more open China policy. Forty-nine percent agreed that the DPP would be better able to protect Taiwan’s interests if it cooperated more with China.
Among DPP supporters, 46.1 percent said they did not think a closer relationship with China would help the party protect Taiwan’s national interests.
Meanwhile, a poll by National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center showed that nearly 60 percent of respondents support consultations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The results showed that 59.5 percent of those polled supported such talks, while 18.7 percent did not.
The Mainland Affairs Council unveiled the results of the survey yesterday.
The results also showed that more than half of the respondents supported the four agreements expected to be signed on Tuesday in Taichung by Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and his Chinese counterpart, Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
The survey showed 65.3 percent supported an agreement on industrial product standards, inspection and certification, while 61.3 percent believed an agreement on agricultural quarantine inspections would help safeguard public health.
Fifty-six percent supported both sides reaching an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS