Why are Taiwanese soldiers fighting against Russia in Ukraine?
The mother of a Taiwanese soldier, Seng Sheng-guang, sees him lying in a coffin for the last time in a church in the city of Lviv, Ukraine.
Among those paying tribute to Sheng-guang are his mother and all Ukrainian citizens, as well as his family and relatives in Taiwan, thousands of kilometers away from Ukraine.
Sheng-Gwang has given his life defending a country he has never been to before.
She says, “Sheng-guang my child, you fought so bravely…you will always be my child, I am proud of you.”
Sheng was part of the international contingent of Ukraine’s border security forces. He died last month in Leman city of Ukraine. He was the first Taiwanese soldier to die in Ukraine.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement after the death of Sheng-Guang, saying that he gave his life to keep Ukraine free.
Ukraine and Taiwan the same situation?
Since the start of the Ukraine war in February this year, thousands of soldiers from all over the world have fought on behalf of Ukraine. Among these foreign soldiers, the number of Taiwanese soldiers was around ten.
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, it has been discussed a lot in Taiwan. China considers Taiwan as its part. Along with this, China has said that if necessary, it will merge it with itself by force. But Taiwan considers itself separate from China.
Tensions in this region increased rapidly after American politician Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August this year. China expressed displeasure on this visit. He later intensified military exercises around Taiwan.
Sammy Lin, who became Sheng’s friend through social media, says that Sheng-Guang was worried that Taiwan would one day end up like Ukraine.
He said, “I remember him telling one of his friends that he could not remain silent after seeing the torture and killing of Ukrainian citizens by Russian soldiers.”
Lin says, “Sheng was one of the few honest people I met in my life.”
Military service is compulsory for Taiwanese citizens. Therefore, they become eligible to join the fleet of foreign fighters of the Ukrainian army.
28-year-old Jack Yao is also one of those who decided to go to war. Jack Yao arrived in Ukraine three days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to foreign volunteers to join the war in Ukraine.
He reached Ukraine’s capital Kiev via Poland from Taiwan.
Jack told the BBC, “I’ve been monitoring the situation since last year. Especially the Russian troops and tanks on the border with Ukraine. No one was sure it was going to be a war.”
“Taiwan and the situation there are similar. I was wondering what I can do to help Ukraine.”
Jack joins a foreign fighter unit in the Georgia army and is assigned to spy operations around the war front. When he arrived, Russia was still trying to occupy Kiev.
Referring to the city, located north of the capital, Kiev, he said, “There were bombardment and rocket attacks every day because Russian forces were present in the city.”
“I was part of a mission and I saw our men killed in an explosion. The bomb exploded 50 meters behind them.”
In his free time, Jack would also discuss Taiwan with the rest of his unit.
Jack said, “One young man lived in Taiwan for two years and he knew the conditions there. Taiwan and Ukraine are like two brothers. They are 100 percent one. He used to tell me that you can’t die here because You have to go back and protect your motherland.”
Yao has returned to Taiwan to take over his coffee business, but some people are still in Ukraine. In a recent video made for a Ukrainian charity, two Taiwanese citizens have openly told about their intentions.
The people of Taiwan are haunted by this fear
With the flag of Taiwan in their hands, these people say, “The biggest reason for us to come to Ukraine is to keep Ukrainian citizens safe.”
“We are also afraid that if Russia wins, China will do the same with Taiwan. That’s why we want to come to Ukraine and are ready to give our lives for the safety and freedom of the people here.”
But not all Taiwanese who came to Ukraine are thinking about the geopolitical aspect. In June, Li Chenling told BBC Chinese that he came here to live a ‘memorable’ life.
He said that if Taiwan was attacked, their decision to join the war would depend on the response of the Taiwanese government and the US.
US President Joe Biden has repeatedly emphasized that if China attacks, the US will defend Taiwan. However, US formal policy is strategically ambiguous. There is no commitment to defend Taiwan, but this policy does not rule out this option either.
Last month Joe Biden said that he does not think that China is going to attack Taiwan immediately. After this, there was a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Joe Biden before the G-20 Summit in Bali.
Paul Huang of the Taiwan Public Opinion Forum says that the opinion of the general public in Taiwan is mixed on the fear of conflict.
“What’s interesting is that most people seem to indicate that they’re not worried,” Huang told the BBC.
He also said that most of the people in Taiwan do not think that they can face China for as long as Ukraine is standing in front of Russia.
Sheng Guang’s mother says that even though she is in pain, her son’s decision to join the war for Ukraine also gave her a sense of relief.
He said, “Even though I am in trouble, knowing that in the last moments of his life, Sheng-guang was involved in the war with brave warriors, they were with each other and lived and died together, I am very relieved. feels.”
