More than 65 percent of respondents supported extending compulsory military service to one year amid heightened Chinese military activity, a Foundation for the People poll showed yesterday.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who is chairman of the foundation, announced the results at a news conference in Taipei attended by foundation chief executive officer Huang Tzu-che (黃子哲), retired air force lieutenant general Chang Yen-ting (張延廷) and National Chengchi University professor Huang Kwei-bo (黃奎博).
Taiwan in 2018 started its transition to a voluntary military system, with men who fit the criteria required to undergo four months of military training, which was shortened from one year.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
More than half of respondents said that a year of mandatory military service should be reinstated, while 12.9 percent said that the four-month regime should be kept, 5 percent said it should be eight months and 4.6 percent said it should be 10 months, the survey showed.
Asked about national security strategies, 61 percent said that trade across the Taiwan Strait can relieve tensions, while 29.2 percent said it makes Taiwan more reliant on China, the survey showed.
Asked whether Taiwan should bolster its military deterrence capabilities or diplomatic efforts in the face of military threats from Beijing, 55.9 percent of respondent said both were necessary, 24.7 percent said only the latter was needed, 9.6 percent said that only the former was needed and 6.6 percent said that neither was needed, it showed.
Regarding the visit of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last week, 45.1 percent said it caused more harm than good, 27.4 percent said the opposite and 22.9 percent thought it had pros and cons, the survey showed.
Seventy-seven percent of respondents said that the government should notify the public if Chinese missiles fly over Taiwan, while 11.8 percent were against such notifications, it showed.
The public is generally unsatisfied with the government when it comes to national security, which might be due to the way it has responded to the most recent Chinese military drills, Chiang said, adding that the government should announce the activities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to put people’s minds at ease.
Asked about their stance on cross-strait relations, 7.7 percent of respondents were prounification, 65.3 percent preferred the “status quo” and 23.1 percent were proindependence.
The poll was conducted from Friday to Sunday by sending out questionnaires on Facebook and collecting 1,021 valid responses from people over the age of 18. It has a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of 3.07 percentage points.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS