March 14, 2014
Mac News Release No. 30
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced the results of the latest routine public opinion survey today (March 14, 2014). The survey results indicated that the great majority of the public support institutionalized cross-strait negotiations to address cross-strait exchange issues (72.7%) and are satisfied with the signing of the Cross-Strait Collaboration Agreement on Meteorology (77.6%) and Cross-Strait Collaboration Agreement on Seismological Monitoring (55%).
The MAC indicated that about 60% to 70% of the public support the negotiation issues agreed upon by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) for the next round of talks. Negotiation issues include cooperation on environmental protection (74.8%), cooperation on flight safety and airworthiness standards (73.6%), Cross-Strait Trade in Goods Agreement and Cross-Strait Dispute Settlement Agreement (57.1%) under the ECFA framework, cooperation on the avoidance of double taxation and strengthening of tax cooperation (63.4%), and the reciprocal establishment of institutions by the SEF and the ARATS (65.8%).
The MAC stated that 50% to over 70% of the public are satisfied with the cross-strait agreements on meteorological and seismological monitoring collaboration signed at the Tenth Round of High-Level Talks between the SEF and the ARATS. Under the two pacts, Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau and the Mainland’s relevant competent authorities for meteorological and earthquake affairs will establish liaison channels and cooperation ties to help the government more accurately track meteorological changes and earthquake activities in the Strait area, strengthen capabilities in seismic monitoring and early warning of severe weather, and thereby further protect the safety of the life and property of the people on both sides.
The MAC stressed that the two agreements signed at this round of talks are the first agreements to undergo national security review mechanism for cross-strait agreements. The government will continue the implementation of this national security review mechanism, as well as strengthen communication and explanations to the legislature and public in hope that the steady and orderly operation of institutionalized cross-strait negotiations may expand benefits of cross-strait agreements, and thus lay a solid foundation for peaceful and stable cross-strait relations.
Regarding other cross-strait issues observed over the long term by the MAC, the survey indicated that people in favor of "maintaining the status quo defined in a broad sense" still account for the great majority of the public (88.6%). As for views on the current pace of cross-strait exchanges, 44.8% of the public believe it to be "just right," followed by the percentages believing the pace to be "too fast" and "too slow" at 31.3% and 14.2%, respectively.
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 7 to 10, 2014. A total of 1,089 valid samples were collected, with a sampling error of plus or minus 2.97% at a 95% level of confidence.