Asia Times reported that there is also growing public support for overhauling military reservists’ training and, if necessary, extending mandatory military service in order to ensure “total defense” against any prospective invasion by Taiwan’s giant neighbour in the future.
It’s almost a month into Russia’s action in Ukraine, there is still no definitive end in sight Russia’s bombardment of major Ukrainian cities continues unabated, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis that is spilling into Eastern Europe.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke virtually for approximately two hours on the “Ukraine situation.” Xi told Biden that the action “is not something we want to see,” according to Chinese summations of the discussion, and that “the events again show that countries should not come to the point of meeting on the battlefield.”
Biden reportedly requested the call after some Chinese officials issued conflicting statements concerning their support for Ukraine and Russia. He also warned of “consequences” if China is found to provide material support to Russia’s military action in Ukraine.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing. China has threatened that “Taiwan’s independence” means war.