Survey shows strong support for President Lai Ching-te's stance against China's claims on Taiwan
Oct 25, 2024
Taipei [Taiwan], October 25, : Nearly 70 per cent of people in Taiwan backed President Lai Ching-te's dismissal of China's claims over Taiwan, as stated in his National Day address, according to a survey released on Thursday by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of Taiwan.
The MAC reported that "of the over 1,000 respondents to the survey following Lai's speech on October 10, 68.8 per cent supported Lai's statement that 'the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan's official name) has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, and the ROC and the People's Republic of China (PRC, China's official name) are not subordinate to each other,'" Focus Taiwan reported.
At a press conference on Thursday, Liang Wen-chieh, the deputy head and spokesperson of the MAC, stated that nearly 70 per cent of respondents also supported Lai's assertion that "the PRC has no right to represent Taiwan."
The survey revealed that 87.3 per cent of participants disapprove of the recent military drills conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) around Taiwan. Following Lai's speech on October 10, China's Foreign Ministry criticized him for employing various tactics to promote the notion of "Taiwan independence."
On October 14, Beijing proceeded with the "Joint Sword-2024B" military exercises, which took place in areas surrounding Taiwan and involved participation from the China Coast Guard, as well as the army, navy, air force, and rocket force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Focus Taiwan, reported.
The survey indicated that prevailing public opinion in Taiwan aligns with Lai's cross-strait position and the policies he presented in his National Day address, which "strongly oppose the CCP's coercive political claims and military threats," according to a news statement from the MAC. Conducted by market research firm Ipsos from October 17 to 20, the survey involved telephone interviews with adults aged 20 and older in Taiwan.
The MAC reported that 1,073 valid responses were gathered, yielding a confidence level of 95 per cent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.99 percentage points.
