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Majority of Taiwanese favor "meaningful dialogue" with China: survey
The Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association survey, conducted between Friday and Sunday, found that 78.5 percent of respondents said they agree with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who said her government is willing to "facilitate meaningful dialogue under the principles of parity and dignity," provided Beijing authorities sincerely want to resolve differences and improve cross-strait relations.
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Soldiers wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at an event to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Second Taiwan Strait crisis in Kinmen, Taiwan, Aug. 23, 2020. (Reuters/Ann Wang)
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n overwhelming majority of Taiwanese agrees that both sides of the Taiwan Strait should engage in meaningful dialogue if Beijing genuinely desires to resolve differences, a survey released on Tuesday showed.
The Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association survey, conducted between Friday and Sunday, found that 78.5 percent of respondents said they agree with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who said her government is willing to "facilitate meaningful dialogue under the principles of parity and dignity," provided Beijing authorities sincerely want to resolve differences and improve cross-strait relations.
Only 9.4 percent of the respondents said they were against it, with 12.1 percent saying they did not have a clear opinion on the matter.
Tsai reaffirmed her willingness to talk with the Communist government in Beijing on Feb. 9 after chairing a National Security Council meeting before Taiwan began the Lunar New Year holidays.
While emphasizing Taiwan is open to dialogue, Tsai urged Beijing to cease its counterproductive "political and military intimidation" of the self-governed island and vowed to stand up to mainland China's military intimidation.
The poll also indicated that more than 76 percent of the respondents said they agreed with Tsai that when the COVID-19 pandemic is under control, people-to-people exchanges with mainland China should gradually resume to improve mutual understanding and reduce misunderstandings, with 14.7 percent of the respondents saying they disagreed and 9.2 percent saying they had no clear opinion about it.
On China's unexpected suspension of imports of Taiwan-grown pineapples, more than 64 percent of the respondents blamed China as being the source of the problem, while nearly 50 percent of the respondents said they were happy with the way the Tsai government handled the matter.
China began a ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan on March 1, saying the decision was a normal biosafety precaution in line with China's laws, regulations and standards.
However, many in Taiwan see China's move as political retaliation in response to Tsai's independence-leaning government's refusal to toe Beijing's line.
Taiwan and mainland China have been separately governed since they split as a result of a civil war in 1949. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification by force if necessary. Their relationship has deteriorated during Tsai's tenure, which began in May 2016.
The survey, conducted by computer-assisted telephone interviewing with a random sample of 1,067 adults from around the island, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence interval.
