: Taiwan’s Civilian Soldiers, Watching Ukraine, Worry They Aren’t Prepared to Defend Their Island #WorldNEWS Eric Chung has been following the brutal war in Ukraine with apprehension. “I didn’t

Taiwan’s Civilian Soldiers, Watching Ukraine, Worry They Aren’t Prepared to Defend Their Island #WorldNEWS
Eric Chung has been following the brutal war in Ukraine with apprehension. “I didn’t think Russia would invade, but they did, so China could do the same. War has become a reality for us,” the 27-year-old engineer says.
Chung has completed the four-month military service required of all Taiwanese men, but he says he doesnt feel fully prepared for combat if he is called up. For Chung and the other young men who make up the islands 1. 65 million-strong military reserve, the conflict in Ukraine is prompting soul searching about how they would react if faced with an invasion by a Peoples Liberation Army that is far larger and better equipped than Taiwanese forces. ”We’re too small,” says 24-year old Jason Hsu. “China would win. ”
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The war in Ukraine has seen hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in the military reserve called up to active duty, and tens of thousands of citizens join the Territorial Defense Force to resist the Russian invasion. Western military and intelligence experts, many of whom expected Ukraine to fall quickly under the might of the much larger and more heavily armed Russian military, have credited these forces with helping to slow the Russian advance.
Scenes of ordinary Ukrainians defending their homeland have awakened Taiwan’s own spirit of resistance; Taiwan is considering extending the length of military service, and calls have been rising for the government to train civilians. The geopolitical differences between Taiwan and Ukraine are extensive, but Taiwan has long lived under the threat of invasion by mainland China, which views the self-ruled democratic island of 24 million as a rogue province that must be reunited with the rest of the country—preferably peacefully, but by force if necessary.
READ MORE: The Ukrainian Citizens Volunteering to Defend Their Country From Russian Troops

An Rong Xu—Getty ImagesAnti-tank fortifications from previous conflicts line the shore along a beach in Lieyu, an outlying island of Kinmen that is the closest point between Taiwan and China on Feb. 4, 2021.
“When the Ukraine war started, people in Taiwan were anxious, but now they’re inspired by Ukraine’s resistance, says a junior officer in Taiwans Republic of China Armed Forces, who asked for anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
He adds that the war has helped Taiwans military leaders see the need to mobilize civilians. Taiwan has yet, however, to set up anything akin to Ukraines Territorial Defense Forces, which have organized militias and trained civilians since 2014. Mei-ling Yu, a 50-year old paralegal, hopes the government establishes such a force.

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