There are rising fears in Taiwan it could follow the same horrific path as Ukraine and be invaded by a global neighbour as tensions threaten to explode with China. Taiwan continues to be a target of China, with the Beijing Government insisting the self-governing island is a breakaway province it must ultimately re-unify. China has yet to make a forceful move on this specific issue, but there are fears Chinese President Xi Jinping may now have the ability and ambition to take things to another level.
Daily incursions from China into the skies and waters around Taiwan have become a regular occurrence over recent months, with a possible threat continuing to linger.
A visit to Taiwan from US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August sparked a huge diplomatic row, with China reacting furiously and proceeding to embark on its biggest ever military drills around the island.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24 and has left a path of destruction throughout the country, has led to fears Taiwan could come under attack from China.
Taiwanese resident Ping-yu Lin, 38 believes everyone on the self-governed island needs to be prepared for an attack from China “in their own way”, and that an attack could happen in “three to five years”.
He told Sky News: “After the Ukraine war, we start to think it’s rising, the threat is rising. And some of us are starting to prepare ourselves. Compared with China we are small. And we need more friends, more allies.”
The father of three is deeply worries about Taiwan’s future in the event of an invasion from China and warned there is a lot at stake in the event of Beijing making such a move.
Ping-yu Lin added: “Taiwan will lose everything in our democracy and our society, our property, our lives. In the current climate we can’t take peace for granted.”
Enoch Wu wants to prepare for disaster, whether that be an earthquake or even war. Forward Alliance runs emergency response training and since the start of the war in Ukraine, their classes are packed.
The 41-year-old said: “One of the biggest lessons from Ukraine is that our world can be turned upside down just like that.
“You know, people don’t appreciate how incredibly fragile peace is, and especially when you live next to a volatile ruler, a dictatorship who can act on a whim to attack and invade another country, an autocratic government that is not accountable to its people or to the international community.”
He warned Taiwan has been living under an “existential threat” from China for several years, adding: “We are unfortunately facing our biggest generational challenge of national survival. It’s up to us now to maintain and protect this way of life.”
Enoch Wu is also fearful about the build-up of the Chinese military and is calling for a NATO-style collective security agreement.
