With an eye on China, Taiwan releases its first war survival manual

Taipei, Taiwan – TaiwanThe Department of Defense released a civilian defense handbook on Tuesday in an effort to prepare the public for military conflict with Chinaa threat that has become greater since Russia Invades Ukraine.

The 28-page handbook – the first handbook the government has released Taiwan, an autonomous island that Beijing claims as its territory – provides illustrated information on topics including how to identify different air raid sirens, what to do if water and power lines are cut, and missile shelters. Individual localities are encouraged to fill out information specific to their region.

Download NBC News App for breaking news and politics

The handbook is intended to raise public awareness of how to respond to emergency situations before they happen and provide knowledge on how to survive if they occur, according to the ministry official. Liu Tai-yi.

“We hope the public can make the necessary emergency preparations during normal times before they happen, and know where to shelter from disasters,” Liu said at an online news conference.

The handbook is similar to those issued by the Swedish and Japanese governments, he added.

Other information provided includes how to treat an explosion wound, how to stop bleeding from the wound, and how to treat a skin burn.

Although work on this handbook began before Russia launched its attack on Ukraine on February 24, the release of the manual comes as Taiwan’s public conversation turns increasingly toward about China’s threat of aggression.

Beijing considers democratic Taiwan and its population of 23 million to be an inviolable part of China and reacts fiercely to any suggestion that Taiwan is its country. Local opinion polls in Taiwan in recent years show that the majority of the population does not want to be part of China.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has vowed to “reunify” Taiwan with China, by force if necessary, if Taiwan declares formal independence. Regular Chinese Army Jets flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone in an attempt to destroy Taiwan’s security forces, in what analysts call a “gray zone war”.

For some analysts, Tuesday’s announcement was not enough.

“This stereotype by itself is not enough… Taiwan will require a long-term commitment to enhance its civilian readiness and military capabilities,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a Taiwan expert. at the Australian National University’s Australian Center for China in the World, told NBC News.

However, Sung described the handbook as a “good starting point”.

China and Taiwan have been closely monitoring the Ukraine conflict for its implications in their relations, although both insist there are fundamental differences between the two situations. Experts say Beijing has paid attention to its diplomatic support for Ukraine and the strength of international sanctions against Russia, as well as the hardships Russian forces experience on the ground.

That might make China less inclined to take military action against Taiwan, at least for now, said Shin Kawashima, a China scholar at the University of Tokyo.

“The Chinese have learned that if they don’t really prepare for an invasion, they might not succeed,” Kawashima said at the National Press Club of Japan on Monday.

There is no indication that a Chinese invasion is imminent, but Taiwan does not take any chances. The island raised its military alert shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Ministry of Defense established a task force dedicated to studying the effectiveness of Ukraine’s war tactics.

Taiwan has also doubled its reservist training program to 14 days, and there are growing calls for an extension of the island’s mandatory military training period from four months to a year.

Ayumi Fujimoto contribute.

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here