Taiwan has published a handbook of survivors of the First World War, amid threats from China

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s military released a handbook on civil defense for the first time on Tuesday, instructing civilians to survive a war situation as the island draws attention to how the island should respond to Chinese pressure following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

China has never abandoned the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and in the last two years has stepped up its military operations to force it to comply with its demands for sovereignty.

The Taiwan handbook contains tips on how to locate bomb shelters through a smartphone app, water and food supplies, as well as tips for preparing emergency first aid kits.

The handbook is planned to pre-date the attack on Russia’s neighbor, which has sparked controversy over its impact on Taiwan and ways to increase preparedness, such as training reform for conservationists.

“We are providing information on how citizens should respond to a military crisis and a potential catastrophe,” Liu Tai-yi, an official with the ministry’s all-out defense mobilization unit, told an online news conference.

It will enable security preparedness and help people survive, he added.

He said the handbook, obtained from similar guidelines issued by Sweden and Japan, would be further updated with local information such as shelters, hospitals and store sites for daily necessities.

The handbook uses comic strips and pictures with tips on how to avoid a military attack, as well as how to distinguish between air strike sirens and missile shelters.

Taiwan has given no indication of an impending attack planned by China, but has raised the level of alert in Ukraine since the start of the war, which Moscow has called a “special military operation.”

President Xi Jinping has repeatedly promised to protect the island and is overseeing a comprehensive modernization program to make its forces more dynamic and difficult to attack.

In addition to the plan unveiled last year to reform the training of the reserve forces, the government is considering extending compulsory military service by more than four months. – Reuters