Date：February 19, 2018
MAC Press Release No. 020
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) stated on February 19 in regards to surveys conducted by domestic polling agencies on cross-Strait issues in 2017 that the focus of many public opinion polls last year was related to cross-Strait affairs due to dynamic changes in the overall situation. The results of the surveys also show public approval of the government's policy position and direction of maintaining cross-Strait peace, support for "maintaining the status quo" across the Taiwan Strait and continued promotion of interaction, dialogue and exchange, and disapproval of the negative actions taken by mainland China against Taiwan. The MAC stressed that, in the new year, the government will firmly uphold cross-Strait peace and ensure national dignity for the rights, interests and well-being of the people.
According to public opinion surveys commissioned by the MAC (in August and November 2017), 81.8% of the public support the government's firm defense of national sovereignty and the dignity and well-being of the people and commitment to maintaining peaceful and stable development across the Taiwan Strait. Moreover, 88.6% of the people agree that, the two sides should jointly find a new model for benign cross-Strait interaction in the face of the new cross-Strait situation. The MAC indicated that the direction of the government's efforts to promote positive interaction, dialogue and exchange between the two sides accord with public expectations. Surveys by the MAC and external parties further show that nearly 80% of the people agree that cross-Strait dialogue and communication should proceed without any preconditions, while 84.8% of the public think ongoing contact and exchanges between the people on both sides is conducive to promoting positive cross-Strait interaction.
MAC-commissioned surveys also show that, facing mainland China's targeted measures against Taiwan, 75.2% of the public disapprove of mainland China's approach of pressuring Taiwan and setting political preconditions for exchanges. Moreover, 64.2% of the people think that mainland China should stop unilaterally tightening cross-Strait exchanges and intimidating Taiwan with military exercises and training. The MAC stated that maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait is the joint responsibility of both sides. It called on the Mainland to abandon rigid, black-and-white thinking, face up to public opinion in Taiwan, and pragmatically understand Taiwan's goodwill policy. Only this will be beneficial to the benign development of cross-Strait relations.
Regarding public positions on unification versus independence, surveys conducted by the United Daily News (in November 2017) and the Election Study Center at National Chengchi University (in July 2017) indicated, respectively, that 73% and 78.3% of the people advocate "maintaining the status quo defined in a broader sense," echoing a stable trend of more than 80% public support for this position found in MAC surveys over the years. Related surveys show that the people of Taiwan expect that the two sides will maintain peaceful and stable development and that preserving the status quo across the Taiwan Strait remains the mainstream public view. The MAC stressed that the people on both sides of the Strait expect "peace." As the new year commences, the government will continue to endeavor to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and to defend national dignity and the interests and well-being of the public. It will also promote a cross-Strait policy true to Taiwan's democratic system and mainstream public opinion, as well as also continue to heed public opinion trends as a reference for policy promotion.