My friends, who learned that I was in Taiwan, are sending me more and more alarming messages: “I hope you carry your bulletproof vest with you!” or “Does your hotel have an air raid shelter?”
They saw the provocative rhetoric from the Chinese state media, especially the Global Times, and concluded that the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan could end very badly.
Indeed, some leading China experts based in the US have said something similar, describing Pelosi’s move as “reckless” and warning against “putting Beijing against the wall”.
People in Taiwan see it differently.
Freddy Lim was once a heavy metal singer and is now a politician. He is still a member of the ruling party. Today, Freddy wears a short haircut and a stylish shirt, but the tattoos are still visible under his pressed clothes.
“There is a fundamental principle that we welcome high-ranking politicians like Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan. This is very important. This is not a provocation against China. It is normal to welcome a friend like in other countries,” he told the BBC.
This is something that all Taiwan’s major political parties agree on.
Charles Chen is a deputy of the opposition KMT (Kuomintang) party and a former presidential spokesman.
“[A visita de Pelosi] “It will be a very important moment for the United States to show support for Taiwan, for Taiwan’s democracy,” he said.
For the “Rebel Province” (as China calls Taiwan), the arrival of the third most powerful figure in American politics is of immense symbolic significance. At the same time, it’s trying to normalize high-profile visits, which Taiwan wants to see more often (the last time was 25 years ago).
Image: Description
growing threat
But Nancy Pelosi’s visit alone does not change a fundamental calculation that Taiwan’s status as a free and democratic society is at stake.
There is a growing awareness that China’s threats to “forcefully reunite the island if necessary” are real and that Beijing now has a huge military advantage over Taiwan.
Last week, Taiwan demonstrated its military strength with five days of air and sea firing and maneuvers.
For the less knowledgeable observer, it was an impressive display of modern military might. For experts, it showed just how far Taiwan has outstripped China.
Their tanks, artillery and warplanes are outdated, Navy ships lack the most modern radar and missile systems, and modern submarines don’t.
There is little doubt that China will win in the war. So what could trigger a Chinese attack? The historically drawn border for Beijing has been an official declaration of Taiwan’s independence.
Image: BBC
Chen says current President of the Democratic Progressive Party, Tsai Ing-wen, is making dangerous moves.
“The condition for Beijing to attack Taiwan may be the belief that Taiwan is taking steps towards independence and there is no going back,” he says.
“So if the presidential candidate wins again in the next presidential election, maybe Beijing will decide to launch an early attack on Taiwan to prevent independence.”
This is an argument that serves the interests of the opposition seeking to return to power, but it also illustrates a deep division in Taiwanese politics.
On the one hand, the Kuomintang wants to reassure Beijing that it will not change Taiwan’s status quo. On the other hand, they are like Freddy Lim, who believe that the attempt to stop China has failed and the only answer is to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses.
“We’ve been trying to appease China for decades. This proves we can’t appease them,” says Lim.
Image: EPA
“After the war in Ukraine, the polls clearly show that the Taiwanese people support a stronger defense… Especially the younger generation shows a strong will to defend our own country.”
The war in Ukraine actually had a huge impact on Taiwan.
Last weekend, I observed about 30 young men and women undergoing basic weapons training in an abandoned factory located half an hour from Taipei. They work with compressed air, but they are the same as the real thing. The training company is run by Max Chiang.
“Since February, enrollments have increased by 50%, and the number of women in classes is now between 40% and 50% in some classes,” she says.
“People are starting to understand that a stronger country can invade a smaller neighboring country. They saw what happened in Ukraine and this is an example of what can happen here.”
Image: BBC
In the next building, a more advanced group is training street fighting scenarios. This group is fully camouflaged with bulletproof vests, helmets and radio communication equipment.
At a table is Lisa Hsueh carrying her gun.
“If tensions with China lead to war, I will stand up to protect myself and my family. That’s why I learned to use weapons,” he says.
“Women like me don’t fight on the front lines. But if a war breaks out, we can protect ourselves in our homes.”
I ask why he believes it is important to be ready to fight for Taiwan.
“I appreciate our freedom. We live in a democratic country. So these are our fundamental rights. And we have to uphold these values,” he replies.
“China is a country without democratic rights. So I feel lucky to have grown up in Taiwan.”
– This text was published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62401353.
source: Noticias
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