TAIPEI CITY: Residents of Taiwan’s Matsu islands, located just a few miles from mainland China, are resigned to the fact that they would stand no chance if war ever broke out with Beijing.
The fear is fueled by China’s latest war games that include live-fire drills, during which missiles were tested.
The residents say that even with Taiwan’s regular anti-landing drills, their island does not have enough weapons to resist China’s military might, and if war broke out, their side would be leveled to the ground.
The Matsu islands, along with the Kinmen islands, have been under Taiwan’s control since 1949, when nationalist forces fled the mainland after the defeat in the Chinese civil war.
While the islands offer little strategic value, they serve as early warning outposts, providing Taiwan’s military with intelligence on Chinese military mobilization in Fuzhou.
Additionally, they could be used as a launchpad for Taiwan’s response, acting as bases for mobile modern multiple rocket launchers.
However, the residents see little point in beefing up defenses on the islands. They believe it would only provoke China, whose military could crush them at lightning speed regardless.
Some abandoned military posts still exist on the islands, covered in shrubs, and disused air raid shelters are available for residents to take shelter in if war breaks out.
Still, some residents believe that if an attack actually happens, they would just have to face it as they do not have many weapons in Matsu.
Tourists visiting Taiwan’s Matsu islands
Tourists still visit the Matsu islands, with ferry services and commercial flights running and soldiers mingling with civilians.
While some practice gunfire could be heard from a distance on the main Matsu island of Nangan, security officials were seen sweeping roads and cutting grass instead of readying for a confrontation.
Life for the long-suffering residents of the islands, including those who lived through heavy Chinese bombardment in the 1950s, continues without a stutter.
Taiwan’s frontline islanders are resigned to the fact that they would stand no chance if war broke out with China.
While the Matsu islands offer some strategic value, the residents believe that increasing defense capabilities would only provoke China, making it easier for them to crush the islands.
