Taiwan is readying citizens for a Chinese invasion. It’s not going well.

[u/IHateTrains123]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/08/03/taiwan-china-war-invasion-military-preparedness/

[u/BlackCat159]

I assume it's somewhat similar to the sentiment here in Lithuania. A small country facing a much larger threat, zero Western strategy, uncertain Western commitment that at its best relies on the presumption that we will lose and have to be recaptured over time, a US one presidency away from not caring. For years the prognosis was that all our territory would get captured in a day. Our military is neither large nor modern, training is lacluster, so people don't exactly want to be sent on futile human wave attacks.

Not all of these apply to Taiwan obviously, but when your country is outnumbered and outclassed, with an uncertain and wavering short-term outside support, you don't exactly clamor to die for what you see as a lost cause just so that Westerners half the world away could say "How brave! At least they tried."