A new poll has found that 70.8% of the Taiwanese public believes that the Mainland Chinese government is overbearing in its relations with Taiwan.
The latest poll from the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation has found that a majority of the Taiwanese public hold unfavorable views of the Chinese government. About 68% believe that Beijing is not trustworthy, while only 16% believe that it is trustworthy.
About 42% have expressed extreme dislike toward the Chinese government, saying the main reason is that it is a totalitarian dictatorship rather than a democracy.
The poll also gauged opinions about Taiwan’s sovereignty. Nearly 50% (49.2%) said Taiwan would be better off as an independent nation, about 18% (17.8%) said unification with China would be the best way to move forward. About 20% (20.5%) said they preferred to maintain the status quo.
The poll also found that President Tsai Ing-wen’s approval rating has dipped nearly 8% (7.6%) compared with the previous month, and dropped about 25% (25.2%) when compared to her approval rating when she took office.