Thu, Jan 10, 2019 page1

• Over 80% reject ‘two systems,’ poll finds

  GENERAL CONSENSUS: President Tsai Ing-wen’s ‘four musts’ received support from 85.2% of respondents, while 61.6% were satisfied with her response to Xi’s speech

  • By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
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  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.

  

  Guests take part in a panel organized by the Cross-Strait Policy Association in Taipei yesterday to explain poll results gauging people’s opinions about recent statements on cross-strait relations by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Tsai Ing-wen.

  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.
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