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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 US survey shows 50％ backs Taiwan against China
A MIM-104 Patriot PAC-2 missile is fired during an exercise on July 15, 2020. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense via CNA
/ Reuters
While half of US respondents supported aiding Taiwan with military equipment to deter a possible Chinese attack, 42 percent opposed deploying US troops in Taiwan’s defense, and 20 percent said they did not know, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The poll showed 75 percent of respondents had a negative view toward China, while 84 percent saw Chinese President Xi Jinping （習近平） at least slightly unfavorably. About 65 percent said they felt the Chinese government was trying to influence US elections.
The poll also showed bipartisan majorities of the US public favor more tariffs on Chinese goods and believe that the US needs to step up preparations for military threats from the country.
The two-day poll, which concluded on Tuesday, revealed deep worries among respondents about China’s global influence at a time when US-China relations have fallen to their lowest point in decades.
About 66 percent of respondents said they were more likely to back a candidate in next year’s US presidential election who “supports additional tariffs on Chinese imports.”
CHINESE THREAT
Sixty-six percent — including 58 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Republicans — agreed with a statement that the US “needs to do more to prepare for military threats from China.”
Still, only 38 percent supported the possible deployment of US troops to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, showing the political constraints facing any president seeking US military involvement in a conflict between Taiwan and China.
Taiwan is the main flashpoint in US ties with China.
CIA Director William Burns has said that Xi had ordered his military to be ready to conduct an invasion of Taiwan by 2027, although that does not necessarily mean he will go ahead with it.
The online Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted nationwide, collecting responses from 1,005 adults, including 443 Democrats and 346 Republicans. It had a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 4 percentage points in either direction.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
