"Majority of Taiwanese and Americans Hope for Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait"

A joint survey by think tanks from the United States and Taiwan revealed that the majority of Taiwanese and Americans hope to maintain the status quo in cross-strait (China-Taiwan) relations.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te waves to the crowd at the commemorative event held in Taipei on October 10, the National Day (Double Ten Day). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News.

According to Taiwanese media such as Liberty Times on the 4th, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) under Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) recently announced the results of a joint public opinion survey, stating that Americans and Taiwanese generally support maintaining the status quo in Taiwan.

The two organizations explained that the concept of "status quo" refers to deepening the foundation of diplomatic, economic, and military cooperation between the U.S. and Taiwan to ensure the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

According to the survey, among 1,214 Taiwanese respondents surveyed by INDSR, 60% expressed a desire to maintain the status quo. Of these, 34% preferred a "permanent status quo," while 26% wanted to decide on unification or independence based on future circumstances.

On the other hand, 27% of respondents supported Taiwan independence, and only 7% supported unification with China.

CCGA reported that among 2,106 American respondents, 51% supported maintaining the status quo rather than Taiwan's independence or unification, while 36% supported Taiwan's independence even if it increased the risk of conflict with China.

These think tanks emphasized that the survey results showed that both Taiwanese and Americans perceive the bilateral relationship between Taiwan and the U.S. as having a positive impact on national security.

However, they pointed out a difference in perception between the two sides regarding responses in the event of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait.

They noted that while 53% of Taiwanese believe the U.S. would dispatch troops in an emergency, only 36% of Americans think the U.S. would send military forces.

Additionally, the survey indicated that Taiwanese are more concerned about threats to Taiwan's sovereignty and security from military drills and gray-zone tactics than from the possibility of a full-scale military invasion by China.