MAC: Over 70 percent of the public approve the orderly operation of institutionalized
cross-strait negotiation mechanisms
The Sixth Chiang-Chen Talks have come to a smooth conclusion.
The two sides signed the Cross-Strait Agreement on Medical and Health Cooperation
and reached a phased consensus on cross-strait investment protection. The latest
public opinion survey commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) indicates
a continued high-level of public approval for institutionalized cross-strait negotiations,
with 72 percent of the public supporting the handling of cross-strait exchange issues
through institutionalized talks. Nearly 62 percent of the public believe that the
Cross-Strait Agreement on Medical and Health Cooperation signed at this round of
talks will be conducive to promoting the development of medical and biotech industries
on both sides of the Strait, while 75 percent of the public support the government
in continuing negotiations with the other side on cross-strait investment protection
issues in order to safeguard the rights, interests, and personal safety of Taiwan
people investing in the Mainland.
Apart from the negotiation issues, the survey also looked at
the public's views on other cross-strait issues long observed by the MAC. The great
majority of the public (87.3 percent) still advocate "maintaining the status quo
defined in a broader sense", a figure that has remained highly stable. Regarding
the current pace of opening up cross-strait exchanges, the highest percentage of
the public (43.6 percent) believe the pace is "just right," followed by the percentages
believing the pace is "too fast" (35.8 percent) and "too slow" (12.2 percent). As
for the public's view on overall cross-strait relations under President Ma's administration,
over half of the people (57.6 percent) continue to believe that relations have become
"more relaxed," higher than the ratios believing relations are "unchanged (26 percent)
and have become "more tense" (10.2 percent).
The MAC commissioned the Election Study Center of National Chengchi
University to conduct a telephone survey of adults aged 20 and over in the Taiwan
Area from December 24 to 27, 2010. A total of 1,070 effective samples were collected,
with a sampling error of 3 percent based on a 95 percent confidence level.
Appendix Ι:
Summarized Results of Public Opinion Survey on the "Public's View on Current Cross-Strait
Relations" (December 24 ~ December 27, 2010)
Appendix II:
Percentage Distribution of the Questionnaire for the Routine Survey on "the Public's
View on Current Cross-Strait Relations" (December 24 ~ December 27, 2010)