More Seek Gun Training in Taiwan as Ukraine War Drives Home China Threat

More Seek Gun Training in Taiwan as Ukraine War Drives Home China Threat
Trainees work on a simulated hostage rescue mission during an airsoft gun training lesson at the shooting range of the combat skill training company Polar Light, in New Taipei City, Taiwan, on May 22, 2022. Ann Wang/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

TAIPEI, Taiwan—From tour guides to tattoo artists, some in Taiwan are taking shooting lessons for the first time in their lives as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ratchets up anxiety at the prospect of the neighboring China making a similar move on the self-ruled island.

The Chinese regime’s growing military pressure on the island, combined with the conflict in Ukraine, has spurred debate about how to boost defenses in Taiwan, which is weighing whether to extend compulsory military service.