Taipei:More than half of the respondents in a recent Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) survey believe that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is responsible for undermining peace across the Taiwan Strait. This represents an increase of nearly 5 percentage points from a similar poll conducted in May.
According to Focus Taiwan, the survey found that 52.3 percent of respondents attributed the blame to the CCP, up from 47.4 percent in May. Meanwhile, 28.5 percent of those surveyed said both Taiwan and the CCP were responsible, a decrease from 33.3 percent previously. Additionally, 6 percent blamed Taiwan alone, compared to 7.9 percent in the earlier poll, while 13.2 percent expressed uncertainty or had no opinion, up from 11.3 percent.
At a regular news briefing in Taipei, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh highlighted the increased activity by Chinese coast guard, research, and maritime militia vessels in waters east of Taiwan over the past five months as a factor influencing public opinion. Since June, China has intensified coast guard patrols off eastern Taiwan, with a suspected Chinese maritime militia vessel spotted in the area in August.
Liang also referenced recent incidents of suspected Chinese transnational repression in Taiwan, including the July assault on Taiwan-based political commentator Akio Yaita by a Hong Kong gang member, and an alleged staged traffic accident involving comedian Huang Yi-hao in September. Both incidents have led to indictments, with prosecutors indicating they were linked to intimidation efforts against individuals critical of China.
The survey additionally revealed that 80.6 percent of respondents support increasing Taiwan's defense budget to bolster its self-defense capabilities, up from 71.9 percent in May. Furthermore, 78.8 percent agreed that the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) and the People's Republic of China (China's official name) are not subordinate to each other, an increase from 72.6 percent.
Commissioned by the MAC, the survey was carried out by polling firm Ipsos from October 15 to 17 and on October 19, using telephone interviews with adults aged 20 and above in Taiwan. The survey collected 1,073 valid responses and reported a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.99 percentage points.