'Ukrainian War Shows We Must Prepare Too'... 70% of Taiwanese Say "Will Fight if China Invades"

69.6% Support Extension of Military Service Period

Citizens are walking in front of the national flag, the Blue Sky with a White Sun, on the streets of Taipei, Taiwan.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Amid growing attention on cross-strait (China and Taiwan) tensions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a significant number of Taiwanese respondents have indicated they would fight if China were to launch a military invasion.

According to Taiwanese media such as United Daily News on the 16th, the Taiwan International Strategic Studies Association and the Taiwan International Research Association jointly conducted a public opinion survey from the 11th to the 13th targeting 1,076 adults aged 20 and over regarding the "Ukraine War and Taiwan Strait Security," revealing these findings.

The survey results showed that 70.2% of respondents expressed willingness to participate in combat if China were to take military action against Taiwan. Additionally, 69.6% supported extending the current four-month mandatory military service period, while only 21% opposed the extension.

Furthermore, 70.4% of respondents agreed with strengthening the capabilities of the annual 14-day reserve forces training, with opposition at 19.1%.

Regarding the "possibility of U.S. troop deployment in the event of war between China and Taiwan," pessimism was slightly more prevalent. While 42.7% held a positive view, 47.3% expressed a negative stance.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China conducted military demonstrations by repeatedly sending warplanes into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). In response, the U.S. warned that it would "do everything possible to deter any attempt to occupy Taiwan." However, many Taiwanese seem to believe that the U.S. might not want a direct confrontation with China if a full-scale war breaks out.

When asked whether the Ukraine crisis would accelerate China's unification efforts with Taiwan, 25.5% of respondents said yes, while 62.4% predicted it would not.

Taiwan's military service system is a hybrid of conscription and volunteer enlistment. Taiwan has implemented conscription since 1951 due to threats from the Chinese military and operational needs, but introduced a volunteer-based recruitment system at the end of December 2018. Additionally, since 1994, those born after that year are subject to a conscription-like military training system requiring four months of mandatory military training.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, it is known that Chinese President Xi Jinping considered forcibly taking control of Taiwan prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

According to a confidential report from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) recently disclosed by Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin, President Xi Jinping planned to launch a military invasion of Taiwan this year and "fully take over" Taiwan before the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

Following the revelation of the FSB report, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, stated, "Our determination to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity remains unchanged," adding, "If the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces provoke, pressure, or even cross the red line, we will have no choice but to take 'decisive' measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.