Sixty-two percent of respondents are concerned about a crisis of political autonomy and increased difficulty maintaining the “status quo” because of deeper economic exchanges with China, according to a recent public opinion survey published by the Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology.
The survey also showed that the allure of economic benefits had not changed people’s national identification.
On the question of unification with China, respondents said China’s booming economy had not produced within them a greater identification with the country. Asked what they thought about unification if there were to be significant economic and political cross-strait developments, 21 percent of respondents said they thought it would be a good idea, representing a drop from last year’s figure. However, opposition to unification has risen to 66 percent.
In addition, 47 percent of respondents supported Taiwanese independence, while identification with Taiwan has shown no sign of falling.
The results of the survey were announced during a seminar entitled “The China Effect in Taiwan,” with academics Jay Chen (陳志柔), Wu Nai-teh (吳乃德), Lin Thung-hong (林宗弘) and Chang Mau-kuei (張茂桂) attending.
The survey represents the preliminary findings of research into the impact on Taiwanese society of cross-strait relations over the past few years.
Wu, presenting a paper on the political effects of China’s rise, said the Taiwanese public has already developed a sense of political and community independence, and despite many people advocating closer economic relations with China, this has not affected their political or community identification.
However, Wu said that 61 percent of survey respondents believe that it will be more difficult for Taiwan to maintain the “status quo” as cross-strait economic relations become closer.
Also, people were universally concerned about a crisis of political autonomy, irrespective of their national affiliation. Furthermore, 74 percent of people who identified themselves with Taiwan felt these concerns.
According to the survey, 60 percent of respondents believed that unification with China would become easier with closer cross-strait economic relations, while 69 percent thought asserting Taiwanese independence would become more difficult under similar conditions.
Wu said the stronger allure of China over the past few years had done little to change people’s national affiliations.
People also believed that economic ties were no “free lunch,” and that economic relations would not only make it impossible to maintain the status quo, but would also restrict political freedom of choice.
Chen, a research associate at the Academia Sinica, said the survey also found that in terms of social background, the young and the middle-aged, as well as people of relatively low socio-economic status, tended to oppose further trade and social ties with China. In terms of gender, women tended to be less positive about cross-strait cultural and social exchanges than men.
Chang, talking of the impact of Chinese tourists, said that 39 percent of respondents expressed a negative impression, although as many as 24 percent had a positive impression.
Lin, a research associate, focused on the support of political parties, saying that people who benefited from cross-strait trade tended to be pan-blue supporters, while those concerned with rising unemployment or the widening wealth disparity tended to support the pan-green camp.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
RSS