A survey of more than 1,000 people in Taiwan has showed that more than half favor developing exchanges with the Chinese mainland.

In the survey, conducted on August 10 and 11 at the request of Taiwan Thinktank, people were asked by telephone whether it was more important to "develop exchanges with the mainland" or to develop relations with other countries.

Of the 1,072 respondents, 50.7 percent put "developing exchanges with the mainland" first, 38.7 percent chose "developing relations with other countries" and the rest chose not to respond, according to survey results released by Taiwan Thinktank.

"It shows Taiwan people have high hopes for cross-Straits relations," said Yung-Ming Hsu, assistant research fellow of Taiwan's "Academia Sinica".

He said the survey shows the majority of Taiwan people believe "(international) diplomacy is useless" and "cross-Straits relations are omnipotent". The mainland's policies on Taiwan are effective and have produced results, he added.

He said the mainland has more leverage in influencing changes in cross-Strait relations.

Asked what was the most appropriate means of achieving "space in the international community", 38.7 percent chose the pursuit of dialogue with the mainland, 34.9 percent chose their "own efforts" and 17.8 percent chose to "seek the help of major powers".

Asked to select the political party they most identified with in terms of ideology and policies, 45 percent chose the Kuomintang, 18.5 percent chose the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 5.5 percent chose the Taiwan Solidarity Union and 2.3 percent chose the People First Party.

Relations between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan were estranged at the end of a civil war in the 1940s. The mainland has stepped up efforts in recent years to promote cross-Strait exchanges and win the support of the Taiwan people.

It has taken lots of measures that benefit Taiwan people, including granting preferential treatment to Taiwan businesses on the mainland, helping them find jobs on the mainland, allowing more of Taiwan's agricultural products to be sold on the mainland, opening tourist routes to Taiwan and offering two giant pandas as gifts.

"We should always put the interests of compatriots across the Straits first," Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said in his meeting with business people from Taiwan in April.

Hu said although after more than 50 years reunification of the two sides has not been realized, the fact that the mainland and Taiwan belong to one China has not changed. The kindred feelings of people of the same nation have not changed.

He called on compatriots of both sides to jointly push forward cross-Strait relations in the direction of peace and stability and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2006)