Taiwanese Opposition to Political Union With China Surges

The number of Taiwanese opposed to a Hong Kong-style political union with China has surged this year as ongoing violent protests in the former British colony raise concerns about Beijing’s rule across the region.

Nearly 90% of Taiwan’s public opposes unification with China under the “one country, two systems“ model adopted by Hong Kong when it returned to Beijing’s rule in 1997, according to a survey published by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Thursday. That’s an increase of 13.9% percentage points since January to 89.3%.