In Brief with Enoch Wu, founder of Forward Alliance

5 April 2023

9DASHLINE recently had the pleasure of speaking with Enoch Wu, the founder of Forward Alliance. His organisation works to empower Taiwanese citizens to protect themselves and their communities in the face of disaster by providing civilian emergency-response training.

Here we highlight some of the key issues from our conversation about the threat facing Taiwan and how it can better prepare to meet them.

9DL: You have organised hundreds of outreach events and workshops to educate thousands of Taiwanese people on how they can help address the threat posed to the country by China. Can you expand on the value of this work?

EW: A critical component of our work at Forward Alliance is to provide communities with the knowledge, skills, and organisation to help themselves in times of need. We are training civilian responders and empowering citizens to serve their communities. This is important for two reasons.

First, it enhances Taiwan’s resilience. As you know, in recent years more and more nations have experienced the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) coercive tactics first-hand. China’s People’s Liberation Army build-up — and its increased exercise and deployment — are raising alarms throughout Asia. However, Taiwan continues to bear the brunt of the CCP’s aggression. Beijing is clear in its objective: the subjugation of Taiwan, by force if necessary. As long as the CCP remains in power, Taiwan will have to be prepared for a military invasion. And considering that the military balance in Asia is shifting in China’s favour, it is imperative for us to invest in our defence, strengthen our security cooperation with the international community, and prepare our population for adversity. The better prepared we are as a society, the more credible our defence and the more likely we can deter war and preserve peace.

The second reason is that it brings communities closer together. When people work toward a common goal, we build solidarity. Our shared efforts remind us that we are in it together. And that’s important for a democracy, especially in an age of worsening polarisation. Taiwan faces a variety of threats: earthquakes, typhoons, and an autocratic neighbour. In confronting these challenges, we must remember to utilise our biggest strength: Taiwan’s civil society. Ukraine’s experience has been a wake-up call to many countries. It is a reminder of the cruelty of war and the unpredictability of autocrats. It is also a case study of why one should never underestimate a nation’s resolve.

9DL: In her Nation Day address, President Tsai Ing-wen focused on boosting Taiwan’s resilience. Where do you think Taiwan gets its strength and resilience?

EW: As I mentioned earlier, Taiwan’s biggest strength is our civil society. This is the source of our resilience. Civic action played a pivotal role in Taiwan’s democratisation three decades ago and remains the driving force behind every progressive initiative since. Today, Taiwan is one of the most liberal countries in Asia, and the sense of service is embedded in our culture: 22 per cent of citizens have volunteered their time in one way or another.

The strength of our communities stands out during times of crisis. Two years ago, a deadly train derailment claimed 49 lives and injured hundreds. At the scene of the accident, civilian passengers stepped up to help each other — rendering medical aid to the injured, assisting those who were trapped, and comforting their fellow distressed passengers — before professional help arrived.

So, we are not short on the ‘willingness’ to help each other. But we need to build the ‘capability’ to mobilise society. This relies on both the training and organising communities. At Forward Alliance, we have trained thousands of civilian responders, building a volunteer corps that can mobilise in case of a disaster.

9DL: You recently argued on social media that “so far, no policy has been successful in curbing the PRC and PLA’s escalating military aggression against Taiwan” and emphasised the importance of preparedness for deterring China. How prepared is Taiwan in your opinion?

EW: We face a neighbour whose military spending is 20 times larger than ours and whose vision of the future is one where Taiwan no longer exists on the world map. So, we cannot afford to ever think that we are fully prepared for an invasion. Our ability to deter war depends on our determination to always do more.

Doing more means having enough well-trained soldiers to withstand a PLA invasion and to have enough well-trained reserves to augment the armed forces in case they are ever needed. It also means increasing territorial defence capabilities, such as a home guard, to protect our cities and critical infrastructure, work behind the front lines with first responders and communities, and if invading forces were to land, disrupt their operations. Finally, doing more means training our communities to help each other and endure hardships — because the public will to resist is the bedrock of our defence.

These may appear to be difficult tasks, but week after week I am encouraged. Encouraged by men and women, young and old, who turn out to train: office workers who beat after-work traffic to train in search and rescue; parents who bring grade-school children to learn the basics of bleed control and trauma care; and firefighters who, after a 48-hour shift, come to instruct their neighbours. When I see ordinary citizens putting in the effort and investing in their communities, I am optimistic about Taiwan’s future.

9DL: At the 20th National Congress, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that China will never renounce the right to use force when it comes to Taiwan. With the PRC increasing its pressure on and intimidation of Taiwan, how do you see such language — certainly not new — shaping politics and morale in Taiwan?

EW: More alarming than the language is the behaviour. The CCP is increasing its pressure on, and intimidation of, individuals and nations around the world, not just Taiwan: look at Hong Kong and Xinjiang; see how they have militarised the South China Sea over the past ten years; note the border and maritime disputes with neighbours that are occurring with increased frequency.

Having said that, deterrence has worked for decades. Our job is to make sure it continues to work for the years to come. It is a matter of survival for Taiwan, but also a common threat faced by the international community. Maintaining peace will depend on our ability to come together to confront this shared challenge.

9DL: The 2022 TIME100 Next list of emerging leaders recognised your contribution to reinforcing Taiwan’s democracy and supporting freedom. Are you connecting with other similar organisations in other countries?

EW: We work with non-profit organisations around the world. We are always looking to connect with partners who share our mission to preserve peace and strengthen communities.

DISCLAIMER: All views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent that of the 9DASHLINE.com platform.

Biography

Enoch Wu is the founder of Forward Alliance.