TAIPEI, July 20, 2010 (AFP) - Nearly half of all Taiwanese support a controversial trade pact the island has forged with China, a survey published Tuesday suggested.

Of 1,010 people interviewed by Global Views magazine last week, 47.1 percent said they backed the deal, while 33.9 percent said they opposed it and the rest had no comment.

The signing of the pact earlier this month -- by far the most sweeping ever between the two sides -- marked the culmination of President Ma Ying-jeou's Beijing-friendly policy.

Taiwan and China have been governed separately since a civil war in 1949, but Beijing considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to get it back, by force if necessary.

Despite this tension, China is Taiwan's largest trading partner, its largest investment destination, and now also home to a growing number of Taiwanese people.

Opponents of the trade pact say it will strengthen Beijing's power over the island, marking a first step towards reunification.

The poll also found that Ma's popularity had reached a one-year high of 32.3 percent after the pact, although 56.2 percent said they were still dissatisfied with him.