Loading...
Formosa as a Safe Haven? Taiwan’s Public Opinion on Potential Asylum Mechanisms and Refugees
Abstract
Taiwan—one of the most progressive countries in Asia—has no asylum law. Due to its political status and its complicated relationship with China, serious concerns surround this topic. Compounding this issue is the limited discussion on this topic within Taiwanese society, with many Taiwanese unaware of the absence of an asylum law in Taiwan, as evidenced by the interviews conducted with refugee support organisations. The lack of comprehensive social dialogue and nationally representative surveys further obscures the true stance of the Taiwanese population on the asylum issue. To address this gap, this chapter presents the findings of the first-ever comprehensive, nationally representative survey that explores Taiwanese views on the refugee issue. The survey covers various aspects: the stance on the eventual adoption of an asylum law, its potential form and concerns about it, and attitudes towards different refugee groups. While online forums may be dominated by negative comments about refugees, creating an impression of an anti-refugee attitude, the survey results paint a different picture. The Taiwanese population holds generally positive attitudes towards refugees and tends to agree that Taiwan needs a proper asylum system. However, a considerable portion of respondents remains undecided, underscoring the need for broader societal discussions on the topic.
Description
Date
2024-06-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan Singapore
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Taiwan, public opinion, asylum, refugees, Cross-strait relations