In early November in the battle against of Russia occupants Ukrainian 25-year-old Jonathan Tseng has fallen in the Luhansk region, the first Taiwanese and first known East Asian person to die fighting a Russian invasion in the neighboring country. Tseng’s death away from home highlights how connected the modern world is and how many cannot be indifferent to what is happening on the other side of the world when it comes to freedom. The desire to preserve what many consider a democracy and a free society Taiwan benefit and the key to development, is one of the main messages I heard from officials and people on an island in the South China Sea in mid-November.
Tseng is revered as a hero in Ukraine. “I came to fight on the right side, for Ukraine, for her people,” the Ukrainian portal quotes TS extension. Tseng was a professional soldier: He previously served in the Taiwanese military for five years, left behind a wife and five-year-old child in his homeland, says Wu Culi, a researcher at the Institute for Defense and Security Research National Security (INSDR), a think-tank, during a meeting with reporters in Taipei. “He’s my hero too,” Culi points out.
Tseng’s case also illustrates the concerns that are present in the world and in Taiwan after a full-scale Russian invasion – or, following Moscow’s example, Beijing could they decide to forcibly settle their long-standing claims against Taipei? “He went to war because he knew that if he didn’t, the next battle might take place in his homeland,” Sammy Lin describes his friend’s motivation to Politico.
Taiwanese media write that about 10 Taiwanese sided with Ukraine during the war. There is no official data because Taiwan does not require residents to inquire about where they are going. On the other hand, during the war, Ukraine does not disclose data on how many and which nationalities joined the fight against the Russian occupiers.
Does the Russian Invasion Provide Answers?
“Taiwan has learned a lot from the war in Ukraine. First, a small country can resist if it uses unique tactics and techniques. Second, the people’s desire and determination to defend themselves. Although Ukraine and Taiwan are different in many ways look, there are also similarities. We are learning and we are trying to prepare,” explains Catherine Hsu, Director General of the International Information Service of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The common thing with Ukraine is that in both
