More than 80 percent of Taiwanese do not accept the “one country, two systems” formula and a majority reject the existence of the so-called “1992 consensus,” a survey published yesterday by the Cross-Strait Policy Association found.
Asked whether they supported Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) proposal of a “one country, two systems” model for unification, which would make Taiwan a local government and eliminate the Republic of China (ROC), 80.9 percent answered “no” and 13.7 percent said “yes.”
Even among respondents who identify with the pan-blue camp, the majority — 64.7 percent of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supporters and 63 percent of People First Party supporters — rejected the formula, the survey found.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
In addition, 68.5 percent did not think Beijing’s “one China” principle has room for the ROC, versus 25.5 percent who believed it does.
As for the “1992 consensus,” 55.7 percent of respondents did not think it exists, while 34.1 percent thought otherwise, with pan-blue supporters generally believing in its existence, the poll showed.
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 KMT and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
However, Xi in a speech in Beijing on Wednesday last week said that it means “both sides of the [Taiwan] Strait belong to ‘one China’ and will work jointly to seek national unification.”
Seventy-eight percent of respondents agreed with President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) stance that cross-strait political negotiations need a mandate from the people, should be subject to public scrutiny and must be carried out by the governments on both sides of the Strait.
Tsai was responding to Xi’s expression of willingness to engage in dialogue on unification and cross-strait political issues with all political parties, groups and individuals from Taiwan on the basis of the “one China” principle.
Tsai’s “four musts” and calls for setting up of a three-part security network for cross-strait exchanges in her New Year’s address received overwhelming public support, garnering support from 85.2 percent and 87.3 percent of respondents respectively, the poll showed.
The “four musts” state that China must recognize the existence of the ROC; must respect the values of democracy and freedom that Taiwan’s 23 million people hold dear; must resolve cross-strait differences in a peaceful and equitable manner; and must engage in negotiations with the government of Taiwan or an institution with a government mandate.
The three-part security network includes parts to strengthen security of people’s livelihoods, enhance information security and improve security protecting democracy in cross-strait interactions.
Asked if they were satisfied with Tsai’s overall response to Xi’s speech, 61.6 percent answered “yes,” while 28.2 percent said “no.”
The poll, conducted on Saturday and Sunday, collected 1,047 valid samples, and has a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of 2.99 percentage points.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS