Survey Shows Rising Concerns in Taiwan Over China’s Threat
A recent survey by Taiwan-based Academia Sinica reveals that nearly 60% of Taiwan’s residents believe China’s threat against Taiwan has increased in the last few years. James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, explained that the survey focused on the credibility of the United States, the threat of China, and how Taiwan’s residents interpret signals from both countries.
Key Findings
The survey found that 80.6% of Taiwan residents believe Taiwan and China are separate countries, while 13.6% think they belong to the same country. Additionally, U.S. credibility has increased by 7.2 percentage points, from 34% in 2023 to 41.2% this year.
Opinions were divided on whether the U.S. would defend Taiwan if Trump is reelected, compared to the Biden administration. Jude Blanchette, Freeman chair in China studies at CSIS, noted that only about 10% of Taiwanese believe China is credible, a trend that has remained stable over the last four years.
Heightened Tensions
The survey comes at a time of increased tensions between Taiwan and China. On Sunday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence detected 22 PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan. Fifteen of these aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern, and eastern ADIZ. The Ministry monitored the situation and responded accordingly.
Han Kuang Military Exercises
Taiwan is preparing for the annual Han Kuang military exercises from July 22-26. According to the Ministry of National Defence, the exercises aim to refine operational plans in response to the increased threat from the Chinese PLA. This year’s focus is on unscripted combat scenarios to test troops’ responses to decentralized command, updated Rules of Engagement (ROE), and nighttime operations.
Doubts Revealed
Taiwan -: Taiwan is an island near China. It has its own government and people, but China claims it as part of its territory.
Academia Sinica -: Academia Sinica is a big research organization in Taiwan. They study many things, including how people feel about different issues.
China’s threat -: China’s threat means that people in Taiwan are worried that China might try to take control of Taiwan or harm it in some way.
U.S. credibility -: U.S. credibility means how much people in Taiwan trust the United States to help or support them.
PLA -: PLA stands for People’s Liberation Army, which is the military force of China.
PLAN -: PLAN stands for People’s Liberation Army Navy, which is the naval branch of China’s military.
Han Kuang military exercises -: Han Kuang military exercises are practice drills that Taiwan’s military does to prepare for any possible attacks or threats.
