A business tycoon from Taiwan named Robert Tsao has donated money to train about 3.3 million ‘civilian soldiers.
United Microelectronics founder Robert Tsao has made his intention public to train 3.3 million “civilian warriors” to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion. Tsao is collaborating with the island’s civilian defense organization using one billion Taiwan dollars ($47million) of his own funds.
His donation comes after China’s military staged a massive show of force to protest US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s trip to Taipei last month. He has become more vocal about his opposition to Beijing.
The 75-year-old said the ability of Taipei residents to stave off an invasion will “determine the outcome of the war,” highlighting the escalating threat from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to Taiwan.
“We will be able to safeguard our land”: Robert Tsao
“If we can successfully resist China’s ambitions, we not only will be able to safeguard our homeland but make a big contribution to the world situation and development of civilization,” he said.
Following Ms. Pelosi’s visit, China conducted its largest and most provocative military drills since the mid-1990s, sending warships, missiles, and fighter jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan.
Tsao declared his intention to “die in Taiwan and stand with its people” after seeing the crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. He is collaborating with the Kuma Academy to teach “three million people in three years”. The Taiwanese people would learn everything from guerilla warfare to self-defense.
The demand for civilian training increased as a result of experts’ worries that China could exploit the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a pretext to invade Taiwan.
“War is not a matter of a few people”: Kuma Academy
The Academy was established just last year and stated, “War is not a matter for a few people, and defending Taiwan is for every Taiwanese. Everyone has the ability and responsibility to contribute their own strength in the war.”
The Taiwanese President, Tsai Ing-Wen called for “strong countermeasures” against these Chinese provocations. Just a few days ago, the Taiwanese army took down a drone from Beijing that was found near Kinmen Islands.
According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, China’s military was also simulating attacks on US navy ships. This is an effort to stop foreign troops from defending Taiwan in the case of an attack.