April 12, 2018
MAC Press Release No. 28
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on April 12, 2018, announced the results of a routine public opinion survey. Regarding the 31 Taiwan-related measures unilaterally promoted by mainland China, nearly 90% of the public approve the government's position that cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation concern the rights and interests of the people and government authority and that the two sides should begin with communication and interaction (88.9%). In addition, about 70% of the public support the government's proposed initiatives to strengthen talent incentives, promote industrial innovation and upgrading, and other response measures (71.5%) and improve legislation and regulations and strengthen protection measures and review mechanisms related to cross-Strait exchanges (69.9%).
The MAC stated that the survey found that more than 80% of the public believe that the two sides should engage in communication and dialogue without preconditions and that this approach alone would be beneficial to the long-term development of cross-Strait relations (80.9%), and support the government's position that Taiwan's future and the development of cross-Strait relations must be decided by the 23 million people of Taiwan (85.6%). In addition, the majority of the public support the position that cross-Strait exchanges and activities should exclude political thinking, adhere to parity and dignity, and conform to legislation and regulations (82.2%), as well as agree that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is the joint responsibility of both sides and neither side should resort to non-peaceful or intimidating words or actions (84.4%). The MAC stressed that cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation should uphold the principles of "parity, dignity, and reciprocity." This is an important foundation for healthy and normal exchanges and benign interactions across the Strait. It is also consistent with the expectations of the people on both sides.
The MAC indicated that the survey results also show that more than 60% of the public believe that the Mainland's use political agenda to suppress Taiwan's participation in international organizations and activities is unhelpful to benign cross-Strait interactions (66.9%). Nearly 80% of the public approve the government's position of continuing to seek support in the international community for Taiwan's right of international participation (79.2%). Regarding other cross-Strait issues long observed by the MAC, the survey indicated that people in favor of "maintaining the status quo defined in a broader sense" still account for the great major of the public (84.8%), maintaining a stable long-term trend. As for views on the pace of cross-Strait exchanges, 34.7% of the public believe it to be "just right," followed by the percentages believing the pace to be "too fast" and "too slow" at 9.3% and 43.4%, respectively.
The MAC stressed that the government has been firm and consistent in its position and commitments on maintaining cross-Strait peace and stability and protecting public welfare. Healthy cross-Strait interaction and development must be jointly maintained and created by both sides. Taiwan has adhered to the principles of pragmatic goodwill and sought potential space for cooperation between the two sides. The government called on the Mainland to abandon its negative behavior of threats and suppression and seriously face up to the reality across the Taiwan Strait, resolve differences through constructive communication and dialogue, and jointly promote the peaceful and stable development of cross-Strait relations.
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 28 to 31 and April 2, 2018. A total of 1,105 valid samples were collected, with a sampling error of plus or minus 2.95% at a 95% confidence level. The survey results were weighted by the respondents' gender, age, education level, and region after testing sample representativeness.