This article was originally posted on Jayu Press and translated by OKN Correspondent.
As the Russian attack continues in Ukraine, according to a survey, seven out of ten Taiwanese said that they will fight for Taiwan in the event of a Chinese armed invasion.
According to the United Daily News and various other Taiwanese news media outlets on the 16th, the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society and the Taiwan International Research Society conducted a joint survey between the 11th and the 13th polling 1,076 adults over the age of 20 on the “War in Ukraine and the Security of the Taiwan Strait.”
70.2 percent said that they are willing to go to war if China took military action against Taiwan. 69.6 percent were in favor of extending the current four-month mandatory military service period, while only 21 percent were not in favor. As for strengthening the reservist training program that is to be conducted once a year for 14 days, 70.4 percent supports the program whereas 19.1 percent is against it.
However, when asked about the possibility of the United States dispatching troops in the event of a war between China and Taiwan, 42.7 percent said they were confident [the U.S. would send troops to Taiwan] and 47.3 percent said they were less than confident. Regarding the question of whether China will “accelerate” its unification move against Taiwan due to the Ukraine crisis, 25.5 percent said they believe they [China] would, while 62.4 percent said that they don’t believe so.
As there is strong resistance from Ukraine and international sanctions against Russia have increased, it looks as if Russia’s original plan has been thwarted. And the people of Taiwan would like for China to accept this as a warning.
Taiwan is also taking an active stance on the issue of the Ukrainian refugees. Japan is opening its doors to Ukrainian refugees, and 77 percent of the Japanese public is concerned that this could become a bigger issue with the possibility of China invading Taiwan. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s past remark that China’s invasion of Taiwan is to be considered a “state of emergency for Japan” has even become a trending topic.
To read the original article in Korean, please click here.
