They may not be in military or paramedic uniforms, but regular citizens in Taiwan are preparing to be a second line of defence in the event of an attack from China.
Forward Alliance, an NGO based in Taipei, hosts workshops to help citizens better prepare for emergencies, both natural and man-made.
People are taught how to pack a deep trauma wound and control bleeding – important life-saving skills, but ones they hope they’ll never have to use.
Former solider Enoch Wu founded Forward Alliance and started the workshops two years ago.
“Ultimately it's about citizenship, it's about service. You know our military and first responders account for just 1% of the population. The other 99% of us know we have a role to play even though we're not in uniform,” said Wu.
China views Taiwan as its own territory and in Beijing yesterday, President Xi Jinping struck a firm line on the decades-long demand for unification.
Taiwan is unfinished business for China’s Communist Party. During the civil war they defeated the Nationalists who fled to the island, but the Communists never managed to take it.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has served as a wake-up call for Taiwanese people. (Source: 1News)
"The resolution of the Taiwan issue is a matter for the Chinese ourselves to decide. We insist on striving for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and with the greatest effort. However, we are not committed to abandoning the use of force and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures,” said Xi in his opening speech at the Communist Party Congress.
Taiwan has responded that it will not back down on its sovereignty or compromise its democracy.
People in Taiwan aren’t panicking, but they are getting prepared.
One participant at the workshop told 1News she had come “to protect us and our country”.
"We hope we can help ourselves and other people to avoid emergency or huge injury," said another man.
China flexed its considerable military might in August with drills around Taiwan after the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
1News’ Cushla Norman sets the scene ahead of China’s biggest political event in five years. (Source: 1News)
But Taiwan’s military of approximately 160,000 troops is dwarfed by China’s two million-strong force.
“I think it would be naive and irresponsible to claim that we are fully prepared for any and all threats. That's why it takes work, that's why we all need to do more,” said Wu.
Interest in resilience workshops have grown since the invasion of Ukraine.
“The resistance that Ukrainian citizens have put up has inspired us, and it's reinforced how important it is for whole society to come together in times of need," said Wu.
"This is not the military's job alone and in Taiwan, if conflict were to break out across the Taiwan Strait it won't be Taiwan's job either."
Cushla Norman’s trip to Taiwan has been funded by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
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