"63% of Taiwanese Dissatisfied with President Lai Ching-te's Hardline China Policy"

Local Media Survey... "41% See Reduced Likelihood of US Military Intervention in Taiwan"

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te [Yonhap News Archive Photo]

 A public opinion poll reveals that six out of ten Taiwanese citizens are unhappy with the hardline cross-strait policy of President Lai Ching-te, who is known for his "pro-US and anti-China" stance.

According to the "Annual Cross-Strait Relations Survey" released by Taiwan's United Daily News on the 22nd, dissatisfaction with President Lai's cross-strait policy has increased from 43% last year to 63% this year, after he has been in office for a little over a year. The proportion of respondents who gave a positive assessment dropped from 44% to 26%.

President Lai, who was classified as having a strong independence inclination, stated in his inauguration speech last May that he would "maintain the status quo" without being "servile or arrogant," but clearly stated that "the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China (China) are not subordinate to each other."

China does not recognize President Lai and continued to exert pressure through military and economic means. In response, President Lai announced a security enhancement strategy in March of this year, designating China as an "external hostile force" for allegedly infiltrating Taiwan's military and society, and emphasizing stricter control over cross-strait exchanges and enhanced domestic surveillance.

The United Daily News survey found that 63% of Taiwanese believe President Lai's strong rhetoric has a negative impact on cross-strait relations, while only 18% believe it has a greater positive impact.

Furthermore, the proportion of respondents who believe Taiwan and China should strengthen economic and trade cooperation increased from 41% last year to 46% this year. The percentage of those who think it should be reduced decreased from 19% to 13%. The United Daily News reported that the "maintain status quo" response rate has remained around 35% for the past four years.

Taiwanese trust in the United States has declined since the inauguration of a second term for Donald Trump's administration.

The percentage of respondents who believe the United States would send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a military conflict between Taiwan and China fell from 49% last year to 41% this year. Conversely, the proportion of those who believe the US would not intervene increased from 42% to 49%.

Regarding President Trump's demand for Taiwan to pay for its defense, 71% of respondents opposed it. Additionally, 46% opposed President Lai's stance to increase defense spending to approximately 5% of GDP, a higher figure than those who supported it (44%).

A total of 66% of respondents expressed the opinion that Taiwan should not lean towards either the United States or China.

Compared to last year, the proportion advocating for maintaining balance remained around 66%, but the opinion that Taiwan should lean towards the US decreased from 21% to 18%. The view that Taiwan should lean towards China increased from 8% to 12%.

The United Daily News explained that 51% of supporters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), President Lai's base and a pro-independence party, also responded that Taiwan should maintain a neutral distance between the US and China. Among opposition party supporters and independents, the proportion favoring balance exceeded 70%.

The United Daily News reported that this survey was conducted from May 10th to 15th through telephone interviews with 1,112 adults aged 20 and over in Taiwan. Yonhap News