Taiwan is building a volunteer civilian defense network to resist a possible Chinese invasion — a sign of rising resolve, but also of how dangerous the situation has become.

• More than 30 volunteer groups have sprung up across Taiwan, teaching survival skills and how to spot Chinese disinformation.
• China holds ever more military drills around the island, and US intelligence says Xi Jinping wants his army ready to take Taiwan by 2027.
• Taiwan is badly outgunned — China has millions of soldiers and five times the warplanes — so the plan is to make any invasion painfully expensive rather than to win a straight fight.
• Identity has flipped: two-thirds of people now call themselves Taiwanese, only 3% Chinese, and 60% say they would fight if China attacked.
• Many Taiwanese still shrug off the threat and mock civil defense volunteers as warmongers, so the government now sells the training as disaster preparedness.

Outlook: Xi is set to meet Trump in September, and many in Taiwan fear a deal that leaves them exposed while China keeps up the pressure.