A majority of U.S. foreign policy opinion leaders support using U.S. troops to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, but a majority of the U.S. public opposes doing so, a new U.S. survey finds.
In a survey released Monday (Feb. 1), the Chicago Council on Global Affairs said opinion leaders surveyed are divided from the public on defending Taiwan. 85 percent of Republican opinion leaders surveyed, 63 percent of Democratic opinion leaders and 58 percent of independent opinion leaders support the use of U.S. troops to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion.
By contrast, only about 41 percent of the more than 2,000 people surveyed support doing so. However, the percentage of the public who support a military defense of Taiwan has risen sharply, from 26 percent in 2014 to 41 percent today.
China has been stepping up its military threats against Taiwan recently, and Chinese military aircraft have also stepped up their close flights to Taiwan since Biden‘s inauguration. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday that Beijing should stop its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan.
“We urge Beijing to stop its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan and engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s elected leaders,” Price said.
The survey also found that a majority of Republican opinion leaders (85 percent) and the public (67 percent) believe China’s growth as a world power poses a significant threat to America’s vital interests, but less than half of Democratic opinion leaders (45 percent) and the Democratic public (47 percent) agree with this. Among independents, 42% of opinion leaders and 53% of the public agree with this view.
There is also a partisan divide among respondents on the question of how to respond to the rise of China. 88% of Republican opinion leaders and 64% of the Republican public believe that the U.S. should actively work to contain the growth of Chinese power.
But Democrats appear to prefer a different approach. More than half of Democratic opinion leaders (56 percent) and the public (60 percent) believe the United States should engage in friendly cooperation and engagement with China.
According to a presentation of the survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, more than 900 opinion leaders surveyed came from a wide range of industries, including the executive branch, academia, media, religious institutions, labor unions and businesses. more than 2,000 people over the age of 18 were surveyed from across the United States.
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