BEIJING -- A survey of more than 1,000 people in Taiwan has showed that more
than half favor developing exchanges with the Chinese mainland.
In the survey, conducted on August 10 and 11 at the request of Taiwan
Thinktank, people were asked by telephone whether it was more important to
"develop exchanges with the mainland" or to develop relations with other
countries.
Of the 1,072 respondents, 50.7 percent put "developing exchanges with the
mainland" first, 38.7 percent chose "developing relations with other countries"
and the rest chose not to respond, according to survey results released by
Taiwan Thinktank.
"It shows Taiwan people have high hopes for cross-Straits relations," said
Yung-Ming Hsu, assistant research fellow of Taiwan's "Academia Sinica".
He said the survey shows the majority of Taiwan people believe
"(international) diplomacy is useless" and "cross-Straits relations are
omnipotent". The mainland's policies on Taiwan are effective and have produced
results, he added.
He said the mainland has more leverage in influencing changes in cross-Strait
relations.
Asked what was the most appropriate means of achieving "space in the
international community", 38.7 percent chose the pursuit of dialogue with the
mainland, 34.9 percent chose their "own efforts" and 17.8 percent chose to "seek
the help of major powers".
Asked to select the political party they most identified with in terms of
ideology and policies, 45 percent chose the Kuomintang, 18.5 percent chose the
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 5.5 percent chose the Taiwan Solidarity
Union and 2.3 percent chose the People First Party.
Relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan were estranged at the end
of a civil war in the 1940s. The mainland has stepped up efforts in recent years
to promote cross-Strait exchanges and win the support of the Taiwan people.
It has taken lots of measures that benefit Taiwan people, including granting
preferential treatment to Taiwan businesses on the mainland, helping them find
jobs on the mainland, allowing more of Taiwan's agricultural products to be sold
on the mainland, opening tourist routes to Taiwan and offering two giant pandas
as gifts.
"We should always put the interests of compatriots across the Straits first,"
Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee,
said in his meeting with business people from Taiwan in April.
Hu said although after more than 50 years reunification of the two sides has
not been realized, the fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China has
not changed. The kindred feelings of people of the same nation have not changed.
He called on compatriots of both sides to jointly push forward cross-Strait
relations in the direction of peace and stability and advance the great
rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
