Sat, Apr 26, 2025 page1

• Huge majority reject Beijing’s system: poll

  CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  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.

  

  A podium at the Mainland Affairs Council in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph.

  Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times

  In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s claim that “Taiwan is a part of China’s territory and has never been a country,” while 80.6 percent disagreed with Beijing’s insistence on the “one China” principle.

  At the same time, 79.1 percent of respondents supported the view that the Republic of China (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) do not belong to each other — a position that has remained broadly consistent across previous surveys.

  Support for this stance has ranged from about 74 percent to a high of 82.2 percent in May 2022, and has been more prominently expressed in public discourse since President William Lai (賴清德) took office in May last year.

  Meanwhile, when asked about the preferred direction for cross-strait relations, more than 85 percent of respondents expressed support for maintaining the “status quo.” This included 36 percent who supported keeping the “status quo” permanently, 25.9 percent who preferred to decide Taiwan’s future at a later time and 19.9 percent who favored maintaining the “status quo” for now, but ultimately favor independence.

  The survey also showed growing concern over China’s influence operations in Taiwan. A total of 73.7 percent of respondents believed that Beijing is intensifying its infiltration of Taiwanese society.

  It showed that 70.9 supported requiring all elected officials — including lawmakers — to obtain government approval before engaging in exchanges with China.

  In addition, 56.9 percent of respondents said that when Chinese nationals apply to enter Taiwan, the government should take into account whether they are connected to China’s “unification” efforts.

  The survey also touched on recent controversies, including the revocation of residency permits for two Chinese spouses of Taiwanese citizens who advocated for China using force to annex Taiwan. On this issue, 67.8 percent of respondents voiced support for the government’s decision to revoke their permits and deport them.

  Meanwhile, 70.9 percent of respondents said that they view Beijing as “unfriendly” toward Taipei, compared with only 15.5 percent who considered it “friendly.”

  The survey was conducted by National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center via telephone interviews from Thursday last week to Monday. It collected 1,099 valid samples from respondents aged 20 or older and had a margin of error of 2.96 percentage points.
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