Date: March 26, 2020
MAC Press Release No. 28
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today (March 26, 2020) announced the results of a routine public opinion survey. The results indicated that 76.6% and 61.5% of the public believe that the Chinese authorities are unfriendly toward the ROC government and the ROC people, respectively, a number of the the highest level in 15 years. As much as 90% of the public disapprove the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) "one country, two systems" proposal, oppose the CCP’s military intimidation of Taiwan (90.5%), and disagree with the CCP’s diplomatic suppression towards Taiwan (91.5%). The numbers indicate that Taiwanese mainstream opinion opposes the CCP's negative actions against Taiwan.
The MAC stated that, according to the survey, over 90% (91.6%) of the people are against the CCP in how it is harming the health, safety, interests and rights of the Taiwanese people by blocking ROC’s participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) amidst the epidemic outbreak, and over 70% (75.2%) approve of the government's call for Beijing to stop its political manipulations against Taiwan in the WHO and deal with issues through cross-Strait cooperation and dialogue (75.2%). Over 70% (73.9%) support the government's position on the principles of "prioritizing epidemic prevention” and “prioritizing vulnerable persons" in handling the return of Taiwanese citizens stranded in Hubei. Moreover, near 70% (69.3%) of the public support President Tsai Ing-wen's willingness in providing necessary assistance to mainland China with any surplus after Taiwan's own epidemic prevention work. The survey results show that the public approves the government's handling of cross-Strait relations during the epidemic outbreak.
The survey further showed that in the year since "Xi's five points" were issued, public opposition in Taiwan to the CCP's "one country, two systems" has risen by nearly 15%, increasing from 75.4% to 90%; moreover, more than 80% (82.7%) of the public support the government's approach of enhancing Taiwan's self-defense capabilities, refusing the "one country, two systems model for Taiwan," and safeguarding national sovereignty and Taiwan's democracy. A similar percentage (86.4%) support President Tsai's statement of promoting cross-Strait interactions based on "peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue". Regarding other cross-Strait issues long observed by the MAC, the great majority of the public continue to advocate "maintaining the status quo defined in a broader sense" (84.4%), and that Taiwan's future and the development of cross-Strait relations must be decided by the 23 million people of Taiwan (92.1%); the numbers point to a steady trend over the long-term period.
The MAC emphasized that Beijing has heightened cross-Strait tensions by continuing to militarily threaten Taiwan and engage in political manipulation internationally amidst the current global epidemic. The government has consistently stood for maintaining the status quo of cross-Strait peace and stability and positive interaction. It reached out again to the CCP to adjust its political stance, which is detached from the reality of cross-Strait relations, and called for Beijing to rationally deal with the Taiwanese public opinion and take seriously the key foundation for cross-Strait interactions that President Tsai proposed. The MAC also stated that, instead of resorting to political obstruction, Beijing should seriously consider engaging in dialogue with Taiwan to pragmatically carry out epidemic prevention measures so as to ensure health and safety of the people; such is the only way to support development and safeguard the people's welfare.
The MAC commissioned the Election Study Center of National Chengchi University to conduct a telephone survey of adults aged 20 and over in Taiwan from March 19 to 23, 2020. A total of 1,089 valid samples were obtained, with a sampling error of ±2.97% and 95% confidence level.