If China attacks Taiwan, these islands will be on the front line. But there is little fear here
For a place where a hostile enemy erupted and that is often called “the front line of democracy,” the mood in Kinmen is surprising.
Tourists from mainland China are the top visitors to this area from Taiwan, usually arriving by boat from the Fuji city of Xiamen, just a few kilometers across the bay.
The main attractions here are the former war sites and shrines that tell the history of these islands – they are located more than 300 kilometers west of the Taiwanese capital of Taipei several times since the Chinese civil war between the Communist forces.
“What you see in those things that happened in the war is meant to let people remember cruel War,” said Jerry Wu, a taxi driver and Teate guide, who said conditions on the beaches of Kinmen during the 1949 war were similar to those of the Normandy Landings five years earlier.
To this day Beijing claims Kinmen, and all leads to Taiwan, as its territory, and the Communist leadership has not abandoned the use of force in its demand.
President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in GyeongjuIn South Korea on Thursday, the future of Taiwan will definitely get prominent.
Sitting a few kilometers from mainland China, the Kinmen Islands are next to Taiwan’s expanding neighbor. For Chris Brown National, CBC, Chris Brown goes to the region to find out how people are preparing for the war they hope and hope will never come.
US intelligence reported that Xi told the military to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan in 2027.
While for decades the United States has been Taiwan’s military backstop, Trump has added a sense of non-confrontation to the relationship. He has reportedly suspended the transfer of $400 million to Taiwan.
The times of the US President from time to time close to China – they hit the tariff rates for a second, they have left again later – The situation in Taiwan became their chip rup rup rup rubio has just been denied that it is.
The Chinese leader is reportedly pressuring Trump to dismantle Taiwan’s independence. That would represent a significant break from the previous administration, which simply encourages maintaining the Status Quo.
History of Conflict
For decades, the Kenmen have been viewed by many within Taiwan as a patriotic symbol of Mainland China’s assertiveness and hypocrisy. For others, the islands represent the power of peace and being more integrated with their neighbors.
In 1949, during the Chinese Civil War, the forces of the Republic of China invaded Kinmen and used its large islands against the advancing Communist forces. who ends up controlling the country.
Most of the nearly 100,000 soldiers are based here. At one point during the taiwan strait crisis, the ground forces occupied the islands for 44 continuous days.
On the sandy beaches of Kinmen, old carcasses of old tanks with bare heads in the bottom tier; Concrete Bunkers with thousands of artillery rings point to structures and structures that have been revised bearing the scars of two joint attempts by Communist forces to take the islands.
But WU, a taxi driver, who is also the last custodian, says that despite the proximity of the country, many feel that I threaten the soldiers and stay far away.
“People in Kinmen have seen a lot of conflict in the past,” he said.
“There are people who are afraid, but there are also people who are not afraid. Some Chinese people marry local people in Kinmen.”
In one of Kinmen’s markets, made up of fishmongers and fruit sellers, Lin Ming-Li, 71, said he believed the war talk was exaggerated.
“People who are close live alone, they are very close. We often say here that Xiamen and Kinmen are one big family,” he said.
These islands receive a lot of drinking water from the mainland, which further pressures connections – including trying to build a bridge and power lines to Kinmen.
Aggressive intensity
At the same time, China’s military tactics have become more aggressive in Taiwan. Almost every day, ships and aircraft from all over the country sail at or near the Median Line Down the Taiwan Strait.
Its military has resumed massive construction involving key materials that could be used to support a hostile invasion of Taiwan, including D-Day termite bags.
It also expanded its fleet of prayer ships, which could quickly be converted into troop carriers.
And the British military thinks – the tank says it believes that Russia is helping China to train paratroopers and pilot marines.
“The kinds of exercises that China has made look like an attack exercise,” said Philip Shetler-Jones of the Royal United Services Institute in London.
“China has also demonstrated other capabilities that seem to be designed to find heavy equipment on the island of Taiwan. Therefore, there is only one way to understand those equipment, which should be done by a deceptive attack.”
However, Shetler-Jones said that because preventing or attacking Taiwan would require large resources, he believes that it is possible that the air force will be ready for that by the time it is reported in 2027.
“That is because they still lack some key capabilities that you would need: the ability to move a large number of forces across the Taiwan Strait; the ability to protect the Lanes base and other disruption efforts.”
Some analysts suggest that when you add to the persistent reports of Chinese military confrontations and high-level money laundering – and a major attack on the economy that attacks or attacks can be detected – the timeline is being pushed back.
“I don’t see the possibility that the war is over,” said Ronan Fu, a research assistant with the Academia Sinica in Taipei.
“There are many positive things that XI jiinping and the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] he has to face us,” he said.
To encourage resilience
Still, Taiwan’s independence-leaning government is preparing for the worst.
Last year, compulsory national service was extended from four months to a year for all young men in Taiwan.
Taiwan’s defense budget is set to rise to five percent of GDP by 2030 and during the National Day celebrations, President Lai Ching-TE announced plans to acquire a tower defense system, known as the “T-Dome,” to reduce potential attacks.
Reservists in Taipei brush up on their first aid skills and practice shooting with Airsoft Guns as part of their preparation for an attack from Mork China.
Taiwan has also invested heavily in military training.
CBC News visited a rehabilitation course in Taipei for Repervists, where people practice shooting airsoft guns to keep their shooting skills sharp.
Viola Yuan, 22, a nurse in charge of the first aid section of the training, said that Taiwan has been living with the threat of military attacks from across the country for so long that it is difficult to take it seriously.
However, with the recent posting of aggressive China to say that you have noticed that many people are coming to the courses.
“Because of the imminent threat [mainland China] In Taiwan, people here have realized that this danger can be real, so they are gradually focusing on these issues,” he said.
“I have also met, for example, young couples, young men with their girlfriends, who come here to confront them [the class]. ”
While capturing the main island of Taiwan would be a huge military commitment, capturing the Kinmen islands would be straightforward.
One reason that might be possible is that the islands are a refuge for the Kumintang opposition, which provides a very close connection with Main China.
Analysts told CBC news that the defeat of Kinmen will produce a small advantage and strategy that is almost certain of Taiwan against the mainland and give war preparations a big boost.
That’s why Jerry Wu, a taxi driver and tour guide, says he believes the war will not return home soon.
“They won’t rush any move yet – but they will continue to harass us,” he said.
