In September this year, a retired tech billionaire in Taipei called the island's media to a press conference to tell them he was donating $32 million to create a civilian army.
Robert said he wanted to help his countrymen and women fight against China.
Three million civilians would be trained in three years. He wanted 300,000 sharpshooters and everyone could learn to pick up a gun.
He admitted that the task wasambitious. It could be done, he said.
He had reapplied for a Taiwan identity card after giving up his Singapore passport. He denied that he was running away. He was not afraid.
People will defend their country if they are in Taiwan. He told the radio station that they were not afraid of Chinese aggression.
The man who created the United Microelectronics Corp was born in China but grew up in Taiwan.
Many of his factories were in China. He has been a high-profile voice in policy debates for a long time. He advocated for a referendum on unification with the mainland.
He is one of a growing number of Taiwanese who feel they need to prepare for an invasion.
Since the rule of the first Communist-era leader Mao Zedong, there has not been a third term for the leader of theCCP. His legacy would be sealed if he achieved reunification with Taiwan.
In his decade in charge, China's military capability has expanded. The Taiwan Strait is a body of water between the island and the mainland.
The Taiwanese public is used to Chinese saber-rattling.
Beijing cracked down on Hong Kong in the middle of the year. Hong Kong is an example of one country, two systems where democracy can be retained if it is united with China.
Another wake-up call has been this year. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia was felt in Taiwan.
When Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, cross-strait tensions reached their highest point in decades.
There was a show of war drills. Beijing had to rehearse how it would attack Taiwan, analysts said.
There were more than 100 aircraft, 10 destroyers and support vessels in Taiwan. Dozens of missiles were fired by the Chinese.
This was the point at which the tipping point was going to happen. He had begun to see the Chinese Communist Party as a crime syndicate.
I wanted to show that I'm committed. He said he thought he would encourage many people and others to follow.
Taiwan's "porcupine" defence strategy is dependent on the development of military drones.
2% of Taiwan's GDP is spent on defence. In the last five years, the US has sold $23 billion worth of weapons. China is spending more than any other country. The world's largest navy is commanded by Beijing, and the PLA has more than two million soldiers and half a million more in reserve.
Taiwan's focus is asymmetric defence.
A comparison of numbers of soldiers or tanks isn't what fighting a war is about. It's pretty much a war decided by intelligence.
The will to fight is required. Since the 1990s, Taiwan's army has shrunk and the government has reduced mandatory service from 2 years to 4 months. There is a debate about whether to extend it. The polls show a majority in favor.
The Kuma Academy is a civilian defence training group set up in 2021. He promised to increase it.
The chairman is not the only one. Wang is a Taiwanese lawmaker and former chair of the parliament's security and defence committee.
People are interested in learning. People were going to Guam to shoot real guns because of strict gun laws at home.
Mr Wang says these are hot businesses. Among the younger generation. They're interested in learning how to protect our country.
She identified as a patriot who would defend her home. She doesn't think the threat from China is so serious that she'd take up the training offered.
He's really got guts. We didn't think someone would give a lot of money. She said that most of the rich and powerful people in Taiwan are pro-China and business.
Everyone was discussing it. I don't know if anyone will do it. I don't believe I'm doing it.
She says people don't want to think about the worst case scenario until a gun is in their face.
We don't want to fight, we don't want to be unified with China, and we don't want to be independent. She said they just want to live.
She acknowledges that things have changed quickly. She believes that Taiwan's status will be resolved through war.
President Joe Biden has said that the US would help Taiwan defend itself against a Chinese attack.
Taiwanese people need to take care of their own.
He wants Taiwan people to be confident in themselves. I call myself a 'Pao Zhuan Yin Yu'.
It means throwing a brick to attract jade. It's about presenting something average or superficial in the hopes that it will attract a pearl of wisdom, a stunningly superior product from those more enlightened.
Mr Tsao thinks of his donation as a brick.
He wants to get in return a wave of Taiwanese fighting spirit.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
