More seek gun training in Taiwan as Ukraine war drives home China threat

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TAIPEI — 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 weighing whether to extend compulsory military service.

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". But gun training would be useful if the government called up reservists like himself to repulse a Chinese invasion, Mr Su added.

The devices use compressed air to carry less dangerous projectiles, such as small plastic balls, to their targets. "The Ukraine-Russia war has made the threat from across the Strait real," said the 34-year-old clad in bullet belt and goggles, referring to the waterway between Taiwan and China.The couple had assembled protective gear at home, from pepper spray to an alarm system for intruders, he added.

 

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