The majority of respondents to a survey by French defense researchers showed support for Taiwanese to decide their own future, despite arguments from China to the contrary.
The survey findings were included in a recent 103-page report published jointly by the French think tank Descartes Foundation and the Institute of Advanced Studies in National Defense.
The two institutions conduct an annual survey of the French public’s views on major wars and conflicts.
Photo: Reuters
As part of this year’s study, the institutions interviewed 4,000 French people in August to explore their views on narratives surrounding four current issues: Russia’s war with Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas conflict, the conflict between France and Mali due to military operations, and the heightening tension in the Taiwan Strait.
Descartes Foundation research director Laurent Cordonier, who headed the report, said that aggressors in international conflicts tend to develop narratives that rationalize their actions.
The report aimed to explore the effects of foreign information manipulation and interference related to such conflicts, he said.
In the survey, Cordonier cited statements from each side of the four conflicts, and compared the respondents’ reactions to those statements with the respondents’ backgrounds to study correlations.
On the issue of tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the survey said: “Taiwan is a country separate from mainland China that has its own system. However, China maintains that Taiwan is one of its provinces and does not rule out using force to assert sovereignty over it.”
The survey cited three statements from the Chinese government on the issue of Taiwan: “By supporting the Taiwan government, the US and other Western powers illegally intervene in China’s internal affairs”; “Taiwan has historically belonged to China and is part of China’s territory”; and “Only the Chinese government has the right to decide Taiwan’s future.”
The survey results showed that 28.4 percent of respondents completely agreed or somewhat agreed with the first statement, while 46.7 percent completely disagreed or somewhat disagreed.
Those who agreed with the second statement accounted for 20.3 percent, and those who disagreed made up 48.4 percent.
On the third statement, only 11 percent agreed, while 72.2 percent disagreed.
The survey also cited three statements made by the Taiwanese government on the matter: “It is the people of Taiwan, not the Chinese government, who can freely and democratically determine Taiwan’s future,” “As a democracy, Taiwan’s ability to maintain its autonomy in the face of Chinese threats is crucial to safeguarding democratic values in Asia and around the world,” and “Taiwan has never been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party, and China’s so-called ‘return’ of Taiwan’s sovereignty to its control is actually unification by force.”
Contrary to the response to China’s narrative, the French respondents highly supported Taiwan’s stance. A total of 79.5 percent completely agreed or somewhat agreed with the first statement, and only 6.2 percent completely disagreed or somewhat disagreed.
A total of 72.9 percent of the respondents supported the second statement, while 7.7 percent disagreed, and 69 percent agreed with the third statement, while 8.3 percent disagreed.
The results indicate the overwhelming majority of respondents agreed that Taiwan’s future should be decided by its people, Cordonier said, adding that the number was even higher than that of those expressing support for Ukraine’s position in its war with Russia.
The study also investigated the impressions of eight countries held by respondents and found that 57.7 percent held a positive impression of Taiwan, while 14.5 percent held a negative impression.
Russia was found to have the worst image, while China had the third-worst in the survey.
In general, the survey found that respondents aged 65 and older were more supportive of statements made by officials in Ukraine, Israel, France and Taiwan, and unsupportive of statements made by Russia, Hamas, Mali and China.
In terms of political affiliation, centrist voters were shown to be the most supportive of Taiwan, while far-left and far-right voters showed support for China.
Those sympathetic to democracies tended to get news from professional, international media outlets, while those sympathetic to Russia, China and other authoritarian states said they receive news from social media and YouTube.
The report also investigated how the French public believe France should respond if China attacked Taiwan. More than half (56.5 percent) of those surveyed believe that the French government should support Taiwan diplomatically and condemn China’s aggression.
However, only 16.8 percent of the respondents believe that France should send troops to help defend Taiwan.
Asked, “Should France do nothing if China attacks Taiwan, since the conflict has nothing to do with France?” 39.3 percent agreed, while 40.5 percent disagreed.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
RSS