More than 90 percent of Taiwanese oppose China’s military threats against the country while nearly 80 percent believe maintaining cross-strait peace is the responsibility of both sides, a survey released on Thursday by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) showed.
The poll showed 90.3 percent of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with Beijing’s saber-rattling over Taiwan, and 74 percent said the Chinese government has been unfriendly to its Taiwanese counterpart.
It also showed that 79.8 percent of respondents support President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) National Day address on Oct. 10, in which she said that keeping cross-strait peace is not the responsibility of Taiwan alone, but should be shared by both sides.
Moreover, 85.3 percent support Tsai’s proposal during her address that she is willing to engage in meaningful dialogue with Beijing as long as parity and dignity are maintained, the poll showed.
Meanwhile, 74.4 percent of respondents do not approve of Beijing’s “one China” principle and its corollaries, the so-called “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence, that see the country as part of China.
In addition, 75.9 percent reject the “one country, two systems” approach proposed by Beijing, and 86.4 percent believe only Taiwan’s 23 million people have the right to determine the nation’s future and the direction of cross-strait ties.
Among respondents, 73.4 percent said they support continuous close cooperation with the US to bolster Taiwan’s national security and self-defense capabilities.
More than 68 percent approve of recent national security legislation and regulatory amendments, as well as the enactment of the anti-infiltration act to strengthen Taiwan’s ability to defend its democratic system, the poll showed.
The survey shows that Taiwanese oppose Chinese military threats and any one-sided political framework imposed by Beijing, the council said.
Conducted from Nov. 6 to Tuesday by National Chengchi University’s Election Study Center for the MAC, the telephone survey involved 1,074 individuals older than 20 nationwide. It has a margin of error of 2.99 percentage points.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
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