Nearly 80 percent of Taiwanese believe that China is unfriendly toward Taiwan, according to a survey released yesterday by the Cross-Strait Policy Association.
The poll showed that 10.3 percent believe that China is friendly toward Taiwan, down from 15.5 percent in January.
The poll showed that 83.5 percent believe China’s actions toward Taiwan do not help cross-strait relations, while 5 percent believe that they do.
According to the poll, 64.4 percent of Taiwanese believe that China’s suppression of Taiwan would result in worse cross-strait relations, while 56 percent believe that the Chinese government is damaging the cross-strait “status quo.”
Nearly 30 percent believe that the Taiwanese government is damaging the “status quo,” the poll showed.
Forty-seven percent of respondents believed that the Taiwanese government is working hard to maintain the cross-strait “status quo,” while 21 percent believed that it is the Chinese government that is working hard, the poll showed.
The poll also showed that 31 percent of respondents believed that Taiwan should accept the so-called “1992 consensus,” while 53 percent believe that it should not.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said at a news conference held to release the results that almost the entire international community knows that China is the one that is changing the cross-strait “status quo,” but 30 percent of Taiwanese believe that the Taiwanese government is the one damaging the “status quo.”
Obviously, there is a significant gap between public opinion in Taiwan and the international community, he said, adding that the gap is a reflection of the differing opinions of the pan-blue and pan-green camps that affects objective judgement of the facts.
In the past two to three decades, China’s tactics toward Taiwan have not changed, Taiwan Thinktank consultant Tung Li-wen (董立文) said.
Through diplomatic suppression and military threats, these tactics have caused Taiwanese to become further distanced from the idea of “one China,” Tung said.
Although China continues to emphasize that the two sides are “one family,” and it has introduced 31 measures aimed at attracting Taiwanese, it has continued to shrink Taiwan’s diplomatic space, revealing a huge contradiction in Beijing’s policy, he said.
That 31 percent of respondents believe Taiwan should accept the so-called “1992 consensus” and 30 percent believe that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration is damaging the “status quo” shows the government needs to better explain its policies to win more support, he added.
The poll was conducted via telephone on Wednesday and Thursday. It had a sample size of 1,075 adults and a margin of error of 2.99 percentage points.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old