00:01Airsoft rifles, maneuvering drills, and battlefield first aid.
00:05Civil defense groups in Taiwan are taking charge
00:07and leading their own drills to prepare for the unthinkable,
00:10repelling a Chinese invasion.
00:29Civil defense groups say participation has been growing steadily,
00:32especially since 2022,
00:34when China launched large-scale military drills around Taiwan.
00:37While the groups are privately organized,
00:39they fit into a larger pattern of preparing civilians for the worst.
00:42The government hands out instruction booklets
00:44for people to follow in the event of an invasion,
00:46has formed a whole-of-society defense committee,
00:48and introduced civilian air drills into its annual Han Guang military exercise.
00:52It all comes as U.S. President Donald Trump
00:54and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet on Thursday in Beijing.
00:57U.S. officials say while Taiwan might come up in the talks,
01:01Washington's policy towards Taipei will not change.
01:03I don't want to think about what I want to do,
01:08because my thoughts don't affectç¿’è¿‘å¹³.
01:12So I think I want to prepare for myself
01:15is the most important part of the world.
01:17Taiwan, of course,
01:18you have to do the things that you want to do.
01:23Taiwan's利益 is also the American利益,
01:25also the American利益,
01:26also the world's利益.
01:27Experts say that U.S. concessions over Taiwan are unlikely.
01:32And so, unless China can really provide something,
01:35that Trump cannot say no.
01:37Otherwise, I don't think that Trump is going to just let
01:41Beijing basically ask what they want,
01:44and then the U.S. will make any concession that Beijing requested.
01:49Xi Jinping is trying to drive a wedge
01:53so that, you know, he can get something solid from Trump.
01:57But I don't think that his attempt is going to be a success.
02:01With potential arms deals to Taiwan at stake,
02:04Taipei will be closely watching the outcome of this week's summit.
02:06But for many here,
02:07the uncertainty is already shaping how they prepare for what may come next.
02:11John Su and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
Comments