One year after China enacted its "Anti-Secession" Law, more than 87 percent of people polled in a local survey said that the people of Taiwan have the final say on the country's future and that Beijing cannot use non-peaceful means to resolve cross-strait issues.
The survey, commissioned by the Institute for National Policy Research, questioned more than 1,000 adults between Feb. 28 and last Thursday. It found that 87.1 percent of respondents said that they agreed the future of Taiwan should be decided by the Taiwanese people, while only 5.5 percent said they did not agree.
While the Anti-Secession Law authorizes Beijing to adopt a non-peaceful approach to resolve cross-strait disputes, 88.7 percent of respondents said that they did not agree with such a tactic. Only 5.2 percent said they agreed.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
More than 77 percent of respondent also said that they could not accept the Anti-Secession Law, which claims that Taiwan is part of China and that Taiwan is not an independent, sovereign state.
Overall, about 49 percent of respondents said cross-strait relations have deteriorated over the past year, while nearly 12 percent said they had improved and about 28 percent said things remained pretty much the same.
Regarding China's military buildup, more than 85 percent of the respondents said that the international community should pay attention to China's increasing missile deployment and possible military attack against Taiwan, while only 5.7 percent of the people disagreed.
More than 70 percent of those questioned also said that China's missiles deployed along its coastline are targeted at Taiwan, while about 3 percent said they are aimed at the US and about 18 percent said they did not know.
When asked whether they were worried that China's military expansion may threaten regional safety, more than 57 percent of the respondents said they were, while nearly 40 percent said they were not.
Chao Chien-min (
Chao called on the administration to take advantage of international public opinion and create the most favorable situation for the country.
The poll also indicated that nearly 67 percent of the respondents preferred maintaining the "status quo," while about 17 percent said they preferred independence and 12 percent favored unification.
Lin Wen-cheng (林文程), vice president of the Foundation for Democracy and a professor at the Institute of China Studies at National Sun Yat-Sen University, said that those who favored maintaining the "status quo" should actually be regarded as preferring independence, thereby constituting a majority.
The secretary-general of the Friends of Hong Kong & Macao Association, Chang Wu-yen (張五岳), said that as only 30 percent of the population are currently for either independence or unification, the intentions of the other 70 percent are worth observing.
Although the US considered the episode on the National Unification Council closed, it will be watching closely to see whether the administration will honor the seven-point statement President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen Ming-tung (
He also lamented public apathy toward the Anti-Secession Law.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS