61% believe latest cross-strait pacts will benefit Taiwan : poll
Written by Writer on Monday, November 10th, 2008
61% believe latest cross-strait pacts will benefit Taiwan : poll
Central News Agency
2008-11-10 12:42 AM
More than 60 percent of respondents to a government poll see the four agreements signed recently between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in a positive light, pollsters said Sunday.
The telephone survey of randomly chosen residents in the 20-69 age group was conducted by the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council Nov. 5-8 to explore their views on the latest round of talks in Taipei between the two quasi-official cross-strait intermediary bodies. A total of 1,067 valid samples were collected, with a margin of error of 3 percent.
The survey results showed that 71.79 percent of the respondents agreed that issues arising from cross-strait exchanges should be addressed through an institutionalized consultative mechanism that has so far been represented by Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS).
Meanwhile, 61.76 percent said they believe that the four agreements signed during the just-concluded Taipei round of SEF-ARATS talks will have a positive impact overall on Taiwan’s future economic development.
The approval rating for each of the four pacts that dealt with air travel, cargo shipment, mail delivery and food safety control, respectively, ranges between 70 percent and 85 percent, according to the poll.
Asked whether ARATS President Chen Yunlin’s Nov. 3-7 visit to Taiwan to sign the accords with SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung had impaired Taiwan’s national dignity and sovereignty, 66.92 percent said “no,” compared to 26.53 percent who thought otherwise.
Hsu Chih-chia, head of the journalism department of Ming Chuan University, said that even though “26.53 percent” was not a large figure, it still served to indicate that worry about national identity remains in the local society.
On the government officials’ participation in the Taipei round of SEF-ARATS consultations, 68.33 percent of the respondents said such an arrangement will contribute to cross-strait exchanges, while 74.69 percent said this kind of direct face-to-face talks between officials from both sides should be maintained.
On the agenda for the next round of SEF-ARATS talks, 75.07 percent of the respondents said top priority should be given to issues regarding the establishment of orderly cross-strait exchanges, such as a joint fight against crime and cooperation on judicial aid and food safety control.
Other priorities mentioned included investment guarantees and avoidance of double taxation (57.36 percent) ; cooperation in setting operational or quality standards for various industries (51.36 percent) ; as well as financial cooperation, cultural and news exchanges, and fishery cooperation, in descending order.
Taiwan News
2008-11-10
