Ukraine war reverberates on Taiwan's Matsu islands

STORY: For residents of the remote Matsu Islands, the buzz of planes flying overhead is a stark reminder of the looming threat of war posed by its massive, powerful neighbor, mainland China.

And they say Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made that threat ever more real.

The Matsu islands are just a stone’s throw away from the mainland, but they’ve been held by Taiwan, hundreds of miles away, since 1949.

That’s when the defeated Nationalist government fled after losing the mainland to the Communists.

Today the islands are home to a Taiwanese missile base, and would likely be an immediate target for Beijing in any case of a renewed conflict. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and has never ruled out taking it by force.

For 64-year-old breakfast joint owner Lin Jih-shou, a recent flyby of a Chinese aircraft reminded him of the possibility of conflict in his own backyard.

"Even if they provoke us, we still can't touch them. If they want to fly over, just let them fly. If you shoot them down, everything will be over, I’m not kidding you, it would be the start of the third world war. It’s really too scary, it wouldn’t even just be us and the mainland fighting, other countries would surely also join in the fight. Just look at the war between Russia and Ukraine, if they use atomic bombs, it'll all be over, no country would be able to escape."

The Matsu islands were regularly bombarded by China at the height of the Cold War, and older residents say the Russia-Ukraine conflict has revived fears about their own history.

But even though China has ramped up its military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, some members of the younger generation aren’t as worried.

Some of the abandoned bunkers that dot the coastline - were transformed into tourist destinations and boutique hotels.

Many young residents are more keen on preserving the islands’ unique culture, and have worked to build up trendy small businesses and a vibrant art scene.

26-year-old Chung Jing-yei is a restaurant manager - who says moving there taught her way so many want to maintain the delicate status quo.

“Between Taiwan and China there's already a clear reasonable discussion that we are different. In the past I really wanted to stand up and emphasize this point. But after coming here, I understood why some middle-aged people didn't want to emphasize this issue, because they are on the frontline. In case something really happens, this place might be the first to come under fire. So the people here keep saying, why do we have to keep stressing this issue (China-Taiwan relations)?"

Taiwan has raised its alert level since the Ukraine invasion, but has not yet reported any signs of an imminent attack.