TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Nearly 90% of Taiwanese citizens support the government's stance to defend the nation's sovereignty and independence in the face of increasing pressure from China, according to a new poll on cross-strait relations released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) released on Thursday (Oct. 26), revealing that
Aslo, 80% of the people disagree with China's proposal to rule over Taiwan based on the "one country, two systems" policy.
The poll stirred a strong reaction from Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), who labeled Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chair Lai Ching-te as a "pro-independence extremist" and a "fraud."
In response to these comments, the MAC stated that China would not earn respect within the international community for making such strong statements. Furthermore, the MAC urged Chinese authorities to reconsider the recent tax investigation into Foxconn's offices.
MAC Deputy Minister Jan Jyh-horng pointed out that increasing pressures from China would only strengthen the national consciousness of the Taiwanese people, leading them to self-determine their rights for freedom and independence.