- Title: More in Taiwan seek gun training as Ukraine war drives home China threat
- Date: 1st June 2022
- Summary: NEW TAIPEI, TAIWAN (RECENT - MAY 21, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AIRSOFT INSTRUCTOR ENGAGED IN LESSON TATTOO ARTIST AND AIRSOFT STUDENT, SU CHUN, SHOOTING AIRSOFT RIFLE SU WALKING TOWARDS TARGET WHILE SHOOTING AIRSOFT STUDENTS WALKING AND SHOOTING TAIPEI, TAIWAN (RECENT - MAY 28, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SU TATTOOING CLIENT TAIPEI, TAIWAN (MAY 31, 2022) (REUTERS) AIRSOFT
- Embargoed: 15th June 2022 12:47
- Keywords: China Taiwan airsoft guns
- Location: NEW TAIPEI, TAIPEI, TAIWAN
- City: NEW TAIPEI, TAIPEI, TAIWAN
- Country: Taiwan
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA001179531052022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: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 giant neighbour China making a similar move on the democratic island.
China's growing military pressure on the island it claims as its own, combined with the conflict in Ukraine, has spurred debate about how to boost defences in Taiwan, which is whether to extend compulsory military service.
Since the war in Ukraine started three months ago, bookings have nearly quadrupled for lessons in how to shoot airsoft guns, or low-power devices designed to shoot non-metallic projectiles, said an official of a combat skills training company in Taiwan.
"More and more people are coming to take part," said Max Chiang, chief executive of Polar Light, which is based in a suburb of the capital, Taipei.
Some of those who came to the shooting range this year had not handled guns before, he said, adding that numbers had "tripled or quadrupled" since the start of the Ukraine conflict, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".
Some in Taiwan fear that China, which has never ruled out using force to bring the island under its control, may ramp up the pressure, taking advantage of a West distracted by efforts to support and equip Ukraine in its response to Moscow. Taiwan has raised its alert level but has reported no unusual military movements by Beijing.
Those preparing against a threat from China include Su Chun, a 39-year-old tattoo artist who was determined to learn how to use air guns.
"I wanted to learn some combat skills, including those that are not just limited to using a gun. Maybe skills to be able to react to any kind of situation," he said. Gun training would be useful if the government called up reservists like himself to repulse a Chinese invasion, Su added.
"Most people don't want to go to war, I also don't want to go to war, but in the unfortunate event of this really
happening, I will be mentally prepared."
Use of airsoft guns, popular for military simulation, is taught as a competition sport in Taiwan, which tightly controls gun ownership, but many of the movements and tactics involved resemble combat skills, from shooting posture to aiming. The devices use compressed air to carry less dangerous projectiles, such as small plastic balls, to their targets.
The fear of potential Chinese threat extends to others beyond Su. At the Taipei shooting range one Sunday (May 29) afternoon, dozens of students picked up air guns for the first time as trainers explained safety guidelines and basic details.
There was an "urgent" need to learn more about defensive weapons after the war in Ukraine, said tour guide Chang Yu, who attended the entry-level course with his wife.
“It is only because of the Ukraine war that I more urgently started feeling the threat from China, therefore I decided to gain some deeper knowledge about these defensive weapons. In the past, before the start of the war, I was mostly interested in first aid," he said.
(Production: Fabian Hamacher, Ann Wang) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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