Taipei (AsiaNews) – More than 60 per cent of Taiwanese are ready to fight in case of an invasion by China, this according to a study by Josh Wenger, a postdoctoral research associate at the Academia Sinica Institute of Sociology.
This is one of the highest levels in the last 30 years based on surveys designed to measure the willingness of the Taiwanese population to defend their homeland against a foreign threat.
This result contradicts the prevailing narrative that the Taiwanese would not risk their lives in case of a Chinese attack.
It also belies the potential attitudes among the Taiwanese compared to that of the Ukrainians who have shown almost total unity in wanting to repel Russian aggression.
According to mainland China, Taiwan is a rebel province to be taken by force if necessary.
Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States is committed to the defence of Taiwan.
Based on recent wargames involving a Chinese invasion of the island in 2026, Japan’s Sasakawa Peace Foundation concluded that US and Japanese forces could stop the Chinese, but at very high costs for Japan and the United States.
Conversely, Taiwan News reports that Chieh Chung, a security analyst with the National Policy Foundation in Taipei, argues that the Chinese are learning from the mistakes made by the Russians in Ukraine and that they could achieve a quick victory in the event of an attack.
For his part, Taiwan’s Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng, replied that the country’s armed forces would fight to the bitter end, and that to win the Chinese will first have to overcome the imposing obstacle of the Taiwan Strait.
