Held by Taiwan for the reason that defeated Republic of China authorities fled to Taipei in 1949 after dropping a Chinese civil battle, the archipelago of small islands, lower than 10 km from China’s coast on the closest level, would in all probability be an early goal for Beijing within the occasion of battle.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has carried out intensive navy workout routines this month after a go to by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was adopted by 5 US lawmakers on Sunday and Monday.
Taiwanese forces have intently monitored China’s strikes, scrambling fighter jets and deploying warships to maintain guard in opposition to the Chinese navy.
While there was no heightened sense of alarm among the many individuals of Taiwan, the strain has highlighted the Matsu islands’ vulnerability.
“I don’t feel particularly safe — after all this island, Dongyin, would be the front line of the battlefield,” mentioned Dora Liu, 27, from Dongyin island, the northernmost territory Taiwan controls and residential to a significant navy base.
“A small island like ours could be taken down in a moment,” she mentioned. “If there is a war, there would be no place to hide. No matter how many tunnels we have, if they really occupied us, there would be no use in having tunnels.”
The rocky Matsu islands, like the remainder of Taiwan, have lived with the specter of Chinese invasion since 1949.
The islands had been usually bombarded by China on the top of the Cold War.
Today, they’re a modern vacationer vacation spot, with hip espresso outlets and boutique accommodations, guests being drawn by the islets’ stark pure magnificence and wartime previous.
Hope for communication
Though the navy presence is rather more low-key than it was at its top within the Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, indicators of battle are throughout, from outdated bomb shelters to propaganda indicators hewn out of the rock with messages like “save our mainland compatriots”.
Chien Chun-te, 40, who runs a breakfast stall exterior a market on the primary island of Nangan, mentioned the brand new disaster was extra worrying than earlier pressure.
“I think a war is possible,” Chien mentioned. “But I hope people in the two countries, and also both the governments, can communicate more. Having no communication would only lead to hatred.”
Despite the current pressure, the islands are brimming with vacationers from Taiwan’s cities, an essential plank for the native economic system, and flights are laborious to e-book
Huang Tzu-chuan, 30, who works in communications in Taiwan’s Taoyuan metropolis, opted to spend a month this summer time working at a guesthouse in a village on Nangan overlooking a scenic bay.
Like most Taiwanese, Huang has adopted the Chinese navy drills intently and regarded what his response could be within the occasion of battle.
“If one day it really happens, I will of course fight for my country,” mentioned Huang.
He drew a parallel between Taiwan’s challenges and the battle in Ukraine after Russia invaded.
“We feel our relationship between Taiwan and China is just the same as theirs.”
