China recently initiated military drills around the Taiwan border. Its ruling Communist Party says Taiwan is part of its territory and it has vowed to take the island by force if necessary.

Real Research, an online survey app, revealed that 69% of respondents were aware of China punishing Taiwan, and 31% were unaware.

Highlights:

  • 85% of respondents think there is a need for international interference in the “China punishing Taiwan” incident.
  • Two-thirds believe China’s recent military exercises hint at more drills later this year.
  • 64% are confident in Taiwan’s ability to defend its national security amidst external threats from China.

China Punishing Taiwan

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing’s control, but the island sees itself as distinct. In response to this, 56% of the respondents think China’s plans to take over Taiwan are justified, while 44% believe otherwise.

China-Taiwan Conflict: International Interference

PLA Naval Colonel Li Xi labeled the exercises “a strong punishment for Taiwan’s separatist acts and a serious warning against interference by outside forces.” In light of this, 85% of respondents (yes, 42.66% + yes, to a limited extent, 42.2%) think there is a need for international interference in the China punishing Taiwan incident.

Read Also: 49.25% Think Taiwan Would Be Able To Defend Against China

However, 15% of respondents do not think there is a need for international interference in the China punishing Taiwan incident.

China-punishing-Taiwan-incident
Figure 1: Does the China punishing Taiwan incident require international interference?

The Reason Behind China’s Military Exercises

Respondents were asked if they think China’s military exercises are mainly to show other countries what they can do or for the people inside China to see.

60% of respondents believe that China’s military exercises are so that they show other countries what they are capable of, while 40% think it is for the people inside China to see.

Taiwan’s National Security

64% of respondents (somewhat confident, 44.30% + highly confident, 19.66%) are confident in Taiwan’s ability to defend its national security amidst external threats from China. On the contrary, 36% are not.

Taiwans-ability-to-defend-its-national-security
Figure 2: Respondents confidence on Taiwan’s ability to defend its national security

China’s Military Drills Around Taiwan

Finally, over the past year, China has frequently conducted military exercises simulating the encirclement of Taiwan using fighter jets and naval vessels. In light of this, the survey on China punishing Taiwan revealed that 66% of respondents believe China’s recent military exercises hint at more drills later this year, while 34% believe otherwise.

          Figure 3: Are China’s military drills around Taiwan a hint at more drills later this year?

Methodology

Survey TitleSurvey On China Punishing Taiwan
DurationJune 2 – June 11, 2024
Number of Participants5,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia,… Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.