POLITICS: China Spurns Taiwan President"s Peace Overture

The Chinese government has rejected a call by Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian for peace talks and warned against moves towards formal independence.

"If Chen Shui-bian remains bent on sticking to his splittist and Taiwan independence activities, he will never bring peace and prosperity to the Taiwan compatriots, but will only bring great catastrophe," said China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Zhang Mingqing on Wednesday.

"Taiwan independence is the biggest danger to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Asian region."

CPOD
Polling Data

In the event of a referendum on independence, how would you vote?

For independence 40%

For reunification with China 25%

Boycott / Cast invalid ballot 15%

No opinion 21%

Jamestown (2001)
Taiwanese politics are ethnic. And the core issue is Taiwan's relationship with China. The latest poll (July 7) shows that less than a fifth of Taiwan's people are interested even in eventual, down-the-road reunification with China, and that another fifth demand full independence. The rest want to "maintain permanently the status quo" of de facto separation from China--or at least put off the decision "until later"... much, much, much, much later. These numbers have been roughly consistent, with ups and downs, for the past decade.

Asiaweek (1997?)
Even if the DPP won the right to rule, it would be hard put to gauge public opinion on an issue as emotive and complex as independence. The party's regular telephone polls indicate that Taiwan people have contradictory views. In one recent survey, 36% of respondents said they were undecided on independence, 30% preferred eventual reunification, and only 17% opted for outright independence. In another poll, 35% called themselves "Taiwanese," 43% said they were "Chinese" and 17% felt they were both.

Originally posted by AceOfBase
It seems like Americans are more in favor of Taiwanese independence than the Taiwanese themselves are.

" In Taiwan today, fewer and fewer people see themselves as Chinese. According to an annual poll taken by Taipei's Chengchi University, the proportion of Taiwan's residents who consider themselves exclusively Chinese has plummeted to 10% from 26% in 1992, while the number who think of themselves as exclusively "Taiwanese" has jumped to 42% from 17%. Meanwhile, a November poll by the island's Mainland Affairs Council reveals a similarly negative response to China's only model for reunification: the Hong Kong formula of "one country, two systems." Just 7% of respondents found that formulation acceptable, while 71% considered it unsuitable for Taiwan. "

Originally posted by FredT
Muaddib brings up a good point. How reliable are these polls? If I put a gun to your head and ask your opinion on an issue, are you going to make a principled stand, or tell me what I want to hear? This is or may be what is going on in taiwan today. Chinas threats of total destruction / invasion are aimed at doing this.

Originally posted by AceOfBase

Well, since at least one of the polls I posted was from the pro-independence Taiwanese DPP party, I think we can give it some credibility.