Many Taiwan people are convinced that the PRC is hostile to Taiwan and three times more identify themselves as Taiwanese than Chinese, according to a new survey.

 

A new survey results conducted by Brooking Institution suggests  that what unites Taiwanese people is not a rejection of Chinese culture, but a rejection of the Beijing’s political system.

The cultural difference appears not to be a reason for hesitance to join the Mainland, as Chinese Communist Party claims. Because 56 per cent participants said Taiwanese culture was similar to Chinese culture. While that perception varied across age groups, it was the strong plurality view in all age groups, and a majority view in all but one (age 30-39).

Taiwan people overwhelmingly reject the PRC state, which they view as hostile and as a malign influence on Taiwan — but they do not reject Chinese culture in the same way, the authors of the survey concluded.

The real reason is a perception of Chinese government's intention towards Taiwan and in general totalitarian system of ruling. In the survey, 63 per cent of respondents had a negative view of the PRC government; only 8 per cent had a positive view.

Taiwanese also see the Beijing regime as a negative factor for Taiwan. Because 66 per cent rated the PRC’s influence on Taiwan as somewhat or very negative. Less than 10 per cent saw a positive impact.

When asked about friendliness towards China, 24 per cent chose the most unfriendly rating, and 72 per cent rated China’s government as at least somewhat unfriendly. Fewer than 12 per cent chose a response that suggested Beijing was even a little bit friendly to Taiwan.

The survey was conducted in May 2021 survey on the sample of 1,000 Taiwan people.