Enoch Wu wants to give every Taiwan citizen the know-how to protect their community. As the threat level rises from Beijing—which considers the self-ruling island a renegade province—Wu is providing civilians emergency-response training for both natural and man-made disasters. Workshops for his Forward Alliance NGO—backed but not financially supported by the U.S. government—are booked weeks ahead. An increasingly prominent adviser to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, Wu navigates the intersection of politics, diplomacy, and citizenship.
Clarification: This story has been updated to clarify that the U.S. government supports Forward Alliance’s work but does not contribute money to the NGO.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next
- Sabrina Carpenter Has Waited Her Whole Life for This
- What Lies Ahead for the Middle East
- Why It's So Hard to Quit Vaping
- Jeremy Strong on Taking a Risk With a New Film About Trump
- Our Guide to Voting in the 2024 Election
- The 10 Races That Will Determine Control of the Senate
- Column: How My Shame Became My Strength