By South China Morning Post | Created at 2026-06-18 09:00:55 | Updated at 2026-06-19 13:31:54
1 day ago
The survey, published by the government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research in Taipei on Tuesday, polled 1,127 Taiwan residents from May 28 to 31.
When asked about the most important approach to safeguarding the island’s security and peace across the strait at the current stage, 44.9 per cent of respondents chose “strengthening self-reliant defence capabilities”, 29.7 per cent favoured “extending goodwill towards mainland China” and 11.8 per cent preferred “deepening cooperation with the US”.
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“This suggests that, amid the regional security environment following the Xi-Trump meeting, most people see enhancing their own defensive capacity as a key foundation for maintaining security and peace, rather than prioritising external cooperation or improvements in cross-strait relations,” the institute said.
There are clear differences in views across party supporters, the survey shows.
Among supporters of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, 74 per cent believe priority should be given to strengthening self-reliant defence capabilities while only 4 per cent choose extending goodwill towards the mainland. By contrast, 65 per cent of Kuomintang (KMT) supporters chose extending goodwill towards the mainland, with only 22 per cent prioritising stronger self-defence.
Supporters of the Taiwan People’s Party held views closer to those of KMT supporters, with 55 per cent choosing extending goodwill towards the mainland, and 28 per cent choosing strengthening self-reliant defence capabilities.
