An updated version of an English-language civil defense handbook by a Canadian author to prepare expatriates in Taiwan for natural disasters and a possible military attack by China has been released online.
“Resilience Roadmap V2.0,” (https://thecultureshack.blog/2025/03/03/update-resilience-roadmap-v2-0/) released earlier this month contains new material aimed at helping people boost their survivability — for example, how to quickly evade toxic smoke in a fire — John Groot, who created the guide, said on Monday.
It also provides more information on radio communications and water purification, Groot said.
Photo: Tsai Ching-hua, Taipei Times
The most extensive updates are to the section titled “Analysis of Factors Related to War.”
In that section, Groot offers a more detailed analysis of potential quarantines or blockades imposed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) around Taiwan based on information he has gathered and discussions with defense experts.
The guide was released as Taiwan is preparing for a civil defense drill on March 27.
The drill, set against the backdrop of Taiwan being on the “verge of conflict with China,” is to test civilians’ abilities to respond to “gray zone” activities, including their ability to find air raid shelters, a security official said.
The threat of a military attack by China was what motivated him to publish “Resilience Roadmap V1.0” in December 2023, Groot said, adding that a “major increase” in Chinese military activity around Taiwan and an increasingly aggressive stance taken by the PLA was a main impetus for the update.
The updated analysis includes how the China Coast Guard has a role in military exercises near Taiwan, after the PLA staged the Joint Sword 2024-A and Joint Sword 2024-B large-scale military exercises.
In those exercises, China Coast Guard ships carried out “law enforcement patrols” near Taiwan alongside Chinese navy vessels, the guide said.
“Another goal [of a blockade] might be to force foreign shipping to register with the China Coast Guard for permission to transit the Taiwan Strait or to enter or leave Taiwanese ports, thus asserting sovereignty over Taiwan,” Groot wrote.
“This would be hard to respond to as Taiwan would not want to fire the first shot in an uneven conflict. Also, the international community might see this as less problematic than a full blockade as it would not cut off commercial traffic through the Taiwan Strait,” he wrote.
Given the PLA has ramped up military activity in Taiwan’s vicinity over the past year, Groot also warned of the possibility of the Chinese military quickly turning military exercises into a surprise attack on Taiwan.
This is one of the key scenarios that is to be simulated in Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang wargames this year.
“Large-scale military exercises have become the ‘new normal’ and the PLA could pivot from exercises to real action in as little as 24 hours. Strategic strikes could be launched with no warning,” he wrote.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS