In an office building on a nondescript side street in Taipei, an emergency is on the agenda for this summer’s day. Outside, the Taiwanese capital is bustling with street vendors and food stalls. Inside, the focus is on warfare, propaganda and first aid. Forty mostly young people are gathered at the Kuma Academy on a Saturday — the majority of them women. “The main reason I participated is to learn about the current state of Taiwan’s defence,” says 27-year-old Ms Su. The democratic island nation, with over 23 million inhabitants, is separated from China by the Taiwan Strait, which is around 130…