A majority of people are in favor of the in coming Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government negotiating a new cross-strait concept with Beijing that would replace the so-called “1992 consensus,” a survey showed.
The poll conducted by the Taiwan Indicators Survey Research showed that 68.2 percent of respondents were in favor of a change.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
According to the poll, 60 percent viewed cross-strait relations as diplomatic relations between two sovereign nations, while 27 percent thought otherwise.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has 23 signed accords with China in the past eight years and those of those polled, 37.8 percent said the accords brought more benefits, while 36.8 percent said the accords were detrimental.
On the issue of maintaining the “status quo” on cross-strait relations — defined as maintaining the “1992 consensus” in accordance with the Republic of China Constitution — 40.6 percent of individuals agreed it, while 34.1 percent disagreed.
More than 76 percent of pan-blue supporters polled agreed with maintaining the “status quo” under such a definition, while 58.7 percent of DPP supporters disagreed, the poll showed.
When asked if the new government should initiate negotiations with China on a new political concept to replace the “1992 consensus,” 68.2 percent agreed, while 12.2 percent disagreed.
A majority of respondents — 72.3 percent — were against importing US pork with leanness inducing additives, even if allowing such imports would grant Taiwan entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), while 16.9 percent agreed.
The US and Taiwan are locked in dispute over leanness inducing additives in meat, mainly due to Taiwan banning the use of the additive ractopamine. The dispute is reportedly threatening Taiwan’s entry into the TPP.
The poll was conducted by the TISR on Monday and Tuesday with 1,002 valid responses. The poll has a margin of error of about 3.1 percentage points and a confidence level of 95 percent.
Tainan City Councilor Lu Kun-fu (盧崑福) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday sparked further controversy when he echoed remarks by KMT caucus whip Alex Fai (費鴻泰) that Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) should be executed for an increase in domestic COVID-19 cases. Chen heads the Central Epidemic Command Center. Lu at a question-and-answer session at the Tainan City Council said that a lapse in disease prevention measures at China Airlines, which has led to a cluster infection, could have been controlled. However, as the airline’s pilots were allowed a shortened quarantine period of three days and were placed
SUFFICIENT SUPPLY: Taiwan has an abundance of pandemic-related goods in storage, and protocols have been implemented to ensure that the supply chain is not broken Hordes of customers descended on hypermarkets and supermarkets in Taipei and New Taipei City after the government yesterday raised the COVID-19 alert level for the two municipalities to level 3 until May 28. Earlier in the day, the Central Epidemic Command Center reported 180 new domestically transmitted cases, most of them in Taipei and New Taipei City. Despite the government urging the public to stop hoarding daily necessities, shelves were stripped bare while cashiers were working as fast as they could. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at a news conference on Friday detailed the government’s inventory of masks, medical-grade isopropyl alcohol and protective clothing,
EYES AND EARS: The navy has commissioned the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to manufacture radars to upgrade the nation’s naval monitoring stations A military enthusiast yesterday posted photographs of Taiwanese F-16 jets taking off from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu with two refueling aircraft, presumably returning to Taiwan from the US for upgrades. Asked about the matter, the Ministry of National Defense declined to comment. The jets had been part of training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and had briefly landed in Honolulu, where the photographer, Aeros808, had spotted them, a source said. The jets did not land in Guam, which had been done in 1996 when the US Air Force delivered F-16s to Taiwan, the source said, adding that the
‘STAY CALM’: The nation has more than 800 million masks in stock and can produce up to 40 million a day, while hand sanitizer stocks are also sufficient The nation has an ample supply of masks to meet demand amid concerns over an increase in the number of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Tuesday. Taiwan has more than 800 million masks in stock, with daily production of 18.3 million units on average and maximum daily capacity of 40 million units, the ministry said on Facebook. The ministry’s assurance came after Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), on Monday said that the nation has entered the community transmission stage after several new domestic
RSS