Taiwanese support closer ties with US over China, few identify as solely Chinese, Pew Research survey finds
- Pew Research Centre found that support for closer political relations with Beijing was relatively low across the political spectrum
- Support for closer economic relations with the mainland was more balanced, according to survey
Taiwanese support closer ties with Washington over Beijing by a wide margin, with only a tiny percentage identifying themselves as solely Chinese, according to experts and poll results released Tuesday.
The findings were not good news for China – which considers self-governing Taiwan a rogue province to be reunited by force if necessary – as it battles a host of economic and political problems at home and abroad.
In its first survey looking at how Taiwanese view the two giants most likely to influence their future, Pew Research Centre found that support for closer political relations with Beijing was relatively low across the political spectrum compared with those favouring stronger bonds with Washington.
Support for closer economic relations with the mainland was more even, however, reflecting in part the island’s long-standing balancing act toward China.
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“It creates hard choices over dependency and vulnerability,” said Rupert Hammond-Chambers, managing director at the Bower Group Asia consultancy. “They want to be treated with respect and as a sovereign entity while exercising that standing by trading with all the major global markets, including China.”