More than 60 percent of the respondents to a survey said that “Mainland China” should no longer be designated as the nation’s territory if the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution is amended, the Taiwan Indicators Survey Research said on Thursday.
While amendments to the ROC Constitution considers China, called the “Mainland Area,” and Taiwan, called the “Taiwan Area,” as territories of the ROC, a majority of the respondents said they disagree with the amendments.
According to the results of the survey, 63.5 percent of the respondents said that if the Constitution is to be amended again, clauses stipulating the “Mainland Area” as ROC territory should be removed and 19.8 percent said that it should continue to be designated as territory of the ROC, while 16.6 percent declined to answer the question.
An analysis of the survey results showed that there might also be a generation gap over the issue of whether the “Mainland Area” should continue to be ROC territory, with support for removing the related clause increasing among younger people.
While China repeatedly asks president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to recognize the so-called “1992 consensus” and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office director Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) says that Tsai’s refusal to recognize the “consensus” would be considered a change in cross-strait “status quo” — despite Tsai’s pledge to maintain it — the majority of the respondents across party lines seem to side with Tsai.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Survey results showed that 55.1 percent of the respondents consider it maintaining the “status quo” if Tsai continued to push for cross-strait exchanges under the ROC Constitution and 27.1 percent said they would consider Tsai’s refusal to recognize the “1992 consensus” as changing the “status quo.”
As many as 50 percent of the respondents who identified themselves as pan-blue supporters said they agree with Tsai; the ratio increased to 61.2 percent among pan-green supporters, while 54.3 percent of the respondents who identified themselves as neutral said they support Tsai’s idea.
The survey also showed Tsai is overwhelmingly trusted by the respondents compared with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese president Xi Jinping (習近平).
According to the survey, 55 percent of the respondents said they trust Tsai, 26 percent said they do not trust her, 26 percent said they trust Ma and 16 percent said they trust Xi.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said that a surge in respiratory illnesses in China has been caused by at least seven types of pathogens, and small children, elderly people and immunocompromised people should temporarily avoid unnecessary visits to China. The recent outbreak of respiratory illnesses in China is mainly in the north and among children, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Monday. Data released by the Chinese National Health Commission on Sunday showed that among children aged one to four, the main pathogens were influenza viruses and rhinoviruses, while among children aged five to 14, the main pathogens
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
INCENTIVES: The province’s ‘21 measures’ include enhanced agricultural loans for Taiwanese farmers, and rent waivers and housing subsidies for Taiwanese start-ups China’s Fujian Province on Monday began implementing 15 economic measures targeting Taiwanese in its latest bid to fan pro-Beijing sentiment ahead of the Jan. 13 elections. Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency said the policies were part of “21 measures” unveiled in September by China for Fujian’s “integrated cross-strait development demonstration zone.” The partially implemented measures, which were created with input from Beijing, include reducing the wait time for Taiwanese applying for a visa from 20 days to five days and free public transit for Taiwanese older than 65, it said. Residents of Taiwan were granted use of the “all provincial Taiwanese entrepreneur compatriot
Tokyo has requested regions in southern Japan to accommodate people evacuated from Okinawa Prefecture in case of a war in the Taiwan Strait, Kyodo news agency reported on Monday. If a conflict breaks out across the Strait, people on the Sakishima Islands, which lie between Taiwan proper and Okinawa’s main island, would have to be evacuated from the prefecture, the news agency reported. An estimated 120,000 people would need to be moved, including 110,000 citizens and 10,000 tourists, it said. Niitani Koushi, who is in charge of crisis management at the Japanese Cabinet Secretariat, visited Yamaguchi Prefecture at the southern end of Japan’s