Taiwanese express sympathy for Ukraine but doubt Beijing will use opportunity to attack island

Most people on the island do not think there will be an attack from the Chinese mainland while the US and Europe focus on Russia’s invasion

The crisis has been widely covered by local media but many doubt it will have much impact on their daily lives

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There has been speculation that Beijing may use the opportunity to attack the island, which it regards as its own territory. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:00pm, 25 Feb 2022Updated: 1:25pm, 9 Mar 2022

Taiwanese people have expressed sympathy with the people of Ukraine but are largely unconvinced that China will use the crisis to attack the island.

Scores of civilians and personnel have been killed so far, according to Ukrainian authorities, while Russian troops were reported to be advancing on the capital Kyiv.

The crisis has been prominently reported by local media in the past two weeks and many people have expressed their concern about the invasion.

Many Taiwanese have expressed concern about the crisis, feeling sorry for the people in Ukraine suffering from the impact of the war.

“I have watched the television news and read about the ongoing conflict, but other than feeling sorry for the people there, I am just treating the entire incident as something that happens in the other part of the world, which is somewhat remote for me to feel disturbed,” said 42-year-old photographer Ben Chang.

Chang said it was unlikely Beijing would use the crisis as an opportunity to attack the island, given that it had many things at home to attend to.