Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) The latest public opinion poll showed that more than 40 percent of Taiwan's people approve of Vice President Lien Chan's remark that the nation should develop long-range missiles in the face of increased military threats from mainland China.
The poll, conducted by EX International P.R. Consultants, found that 42.1 percent of respondents said the Republic of China should develop long-range missiles, while 26.2 percent said Taiwan shouldn't.
Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they worry that such missile development might cause an arms race across the Taiwan Strait, compared with 45.3 percent who said they don't.
According to the poll, 10.2 percent of respondents "very much approve" of the initiative to develop long-range missiles, while 31.9 said they "approve" of the initiative. Nineteen percent of respondents said they "sort of disapprove" of the idea, while 7.2 percent said they "very much disapprove" of it.
However, 31.7 percent of respondents either said they "do not know" or declined to answer the question about the prospect and justification of Taiwan's development of long-range missiles.
Asked whether they are worried that long-range missile development would trigger an arms race between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, 9.6 percent of respondents said they are "very much worried," while 29.3 percent said they "are worried."
Of the respondents, 31.2 percent said are "not worried much," while 14.1 percent said they are "not at all worried."
The other 15.8 percent either had "no idea" or declined to answer whether they worry or not.
The poll was conducted between Dec. 13 and 15 with the participation of 1,220 adults, and carried an error margin of 2.86 percent. (By Deborah Kuo)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
