Civil defense, that is the idea of civilians receiving military training in order to be prepared for conflict, is becoming quite the topic in Taiwan. The war in Ukraine caused many Taiwanese to question their own preparedness for a possible Chinese invasion.
Now, one of Taiwan’s wealthiest citizens, Robert Tsao, is getting involved in these efforts. Earlier this month Tsao said he would spend 20 million US dollars to train 300,000 Taiwanese to act as crucial support for Taiwan’s defense in the event of war with China. That ushered him into the media spotlight, including an interview on one of Taiwan’s most popular podcasts, Bilingual News.
Tsao was born in 1947 in Beijing, China. He comes from a prominent literary family that fled to Taiwan as the KMT lost the Chinese Civil War. He grew up in Taichung and completed his undergraduate studies at NTU before receiving a masters from National Chiao Tong University. Tsao began his career as a researcher for the Industrial Technology Research Institute, one of Taiwan’s most important research organizations. When the institute received US integrated circuit technology, Tsao went to the United States to learn about semiconductors. In 1982, he helped found Taiwan’s first wafer manufacturer United Microelectronics Corporation, or UMC. He eventually would go on to lead the company, which today is Taiwan’s second largest chip fab.
Tsao demonstrates the change in attitude towards China that many Taiwanese have gone through. He was an early investor in wafer factories in China, and believed in maintaining the status quo between both sides. But over the last few years, he’s changed his tune. He is now a strong critic of the so-called 92 consensus and the Chinese government. His new plan to train Taiwan’s civil defense force shows how all sectors of Taiwanese society are adapting to the new reality in the Taiwan Strait.