Six out of 10 Taiwanese want to maintain the status quo in cross-strait relations between China and Taiwan, with support for the status quo reaching a record high of more than 60%.
Taiwan's United Daily News reported Sunday the findings of a survey on "Taiwan's Future" conducted from October 22 to 27 among 1,068 adults aged 20 and over, ahead of the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping and the second anniversary of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's inauguration.
According to the survey, 63% favored "maintaining the status quo permanently," followed by "status quo now, independence later" at 14%, "rapid independence" at 7%, "gradual unification with China" at 6%, and "rapid unification" at 4%. The combined share of respondents supporting Taiwanese independence stood at 21%, down 4 percentage points from a year earlier. Support for unification with China also fell 4 percentage points from last year to 10%. Both figures marked record lows.
On President Lai's handling of cross-strait relations, 48.9% of respondents said they were "not satisfied," while only 36.9% said they were "satisfied." Lai is known for his pro-U.S. and pro-independence stance. Asked whether the United States would send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a cross-strait military clash, 41% said Washington would deploy forces, while 43% said it would not.
Meanwhile, Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT), who visited China in April for the first "KMT-Communist Party talks" in 10 years, is set to visit the United States this month. Her roughly two-week trip will include western cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as eastern cities including Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C.
