Taiwan reservists stoic but unprepared for China threat

Sitting pensively in a pew at a Taipei church, army reservist Henry Cheng is nonchalant about the Chinese warships and jets circling his island - but he also feels ill-prepared for war.

China"s massive military drills this month pushed tensions in the Taiwan Strait to their highest point in years, deepening fears Beijing could forcibly take control of the self-ruled democracy it claims as its own.

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Coming on the heels of Russia"s invasion of Ukraine, the crisis has revived debate within Taiwan and among key Western allies about the readiness of the island"s vastly outnumbered military.

But Cheng said he was unconcerned.

"It was like "Oh, they"re at it again,"" the 25-year-old insurance sales agent told AFP. "They"ve been talking about a war since I was little but there still hasn"t been one."

Cheng completed his mandatory four-month military service last year, placing him in the ranks of about 2.5 million reservists who could be called up to battle if an invasion took place.

Yet conflict feels like a distant reality for Cheng compared to his usual routine of meeting clients and rehearsing Christian worship songs as a drummer for his church band.

"I"m definitely not ready (for war), because four months to me is more like going there to play," he said, referencing his training.

"I"d probably die very quickly. I"ll face it when it comes."