, 35.4% of respondents said they were worried about a military conflict breaking out over the Taiwan Strait within the next year, a decrease of nearly 15 percentage points on last year’s survey. The survey also found 59.7% of people do not think Beijing will ultimately use force to take Taiwan, while more than 35% believed it would.and has pledged to take it by force if necessary.
The US sells billions of dollars in weaponry of a defensive character to Taiwan. Washington officials have also made statements suggesting it was likely to come to Taiwan’s aid militarily in case of conflict. For decades the US has operated a policy of strategic ambiguity, neither confirming nor rejecting commitments to help, in order to deter provocative action by both Beijing and Taipei.
Confidence in US assistance varied according to age, Commonwealth Magazine reported, with those under 40 holding a more favourable view of the US. Those older believed China was stronger than the US and were thus more concerned about the prospect of war.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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