CGTN poll shows arming Taiwan is selling out and destroying Taiwan

The United States has once again rolled out a "sky-high" arms sales package to Taiwan. The record-breaking arms sales plan, totaling more than $11 billion, includes multiple weapons systems with clear offensive capabilities, drawing intense international attention and widespread concern over the situation across the Taiwan Strait.

A global poll conducted by CGTN shows that an overwhelming 90 percent of respondents view the Taiwan authorities' dangerous armament increase as a push to the brink of war.

Since Lai Ching-te took office, he has accelerated the militarization of Taiwan, seeking "independence" through force. The Taiwan authorities have pledged to raise defense spending to five percent of regional GDP by 2030, even at the cost of "draining Taiwan's resources," severely weighing on people's livelihoods and economic development on the island.

The survey reveals 81.1 percent of respondents believe that the Taiwan authorities' practice of sacrificing Taiwan's long-term interests for short-term political gains has drained the island of its economic lifeblood and development prospects. Moreover, 87.7 percent of respondents say the actions of the Taiwan authorities pose a serious threat to the safety and interests of the residents on the island.

It is also worth noting that an impeachment motion against Lai was approved by the island's legislature. A related online petition calling for his impeachment launched on the island has already garnered participation from more than 8 million people.

This reflects that such moves by local authorities, led by Lai, are met with strong condemnation and firm opposition among Taiwan residents who view them as a sell-out that will lead to their destruction, an 86.9 percent of those polled say. Another 89.4 percent of respondents are calling on the regional authorities to immediately answer the call of mainstream public opinion for "peace over war, development over decline, exchange over separation, and cooperation over confrontation," to stop provocations, and to dial down tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

As many as 183 countries around the world have recognized the one-China principle and clearly affirm that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, a position that constitutes the prevailing consensus of the international community in handling the Taiwan question. An 87.4 percent of the survey's respondents view this as a reflection of the broad consensus among the international community. However, the United States has in recent years been ramping up arms sales to Taiwan, which constitutes an open interference in China's internal affairs, actions that clearly deviate from the international consensus and from its own commitments.

The poll shows that 91.9 percent of respondents believe the Taiwan question should be resolved by the Chinese people themselves and no other country should interfere. It forms the core of China's core interests and the main red line in China–U.S. relations that must not be crossed, 85.8 percent of respondents say. In addition, 78.9 percent of respondents call on the U.S. side to handle the Taiwan question prudently and to clearly demonstrate its opposition to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Another 85.1 percent urge the U.S. to abide by the one-China principle and the Three Joint Communiqués, stop the dangerous practice of arming Taiwan, stop undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and stop sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

The survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms. Within 18 hours, a total of 10,002 respondents had taken part in the vote to share their views.