55% of Chinese support "all-out war" with Taiwan, but only 22% support "separation"

With cross-strait relations treading thin ice, a survey has been released showing that more than half of the Chinese support "unification of Taiwan through all-out war."

On May 21st (local time), the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong Kong-affiliated daily newspaper, quoted an article published last week in the academic journal Modern China as a question about Taiwan's policy preferences. Fifty-five percent of respondents reported supporting all-out war. In particular, the newspaper explained that the older the age group, the higher the ratio of support for all-out war. The questionnaire survey was conducted online from the end of 2020 to the beginning of 2021 targeting 1824 people in mainland China.

Support for military coercion and economic sanctions, excluding all-out war, also accounted for 58% and 57%, respectively. Twenty-two percent of respondents said they wanted to 'separate' China and Taiwan without reunification.