Taiwan Government Unveils Civil Defense Manual

Taipei, November 17, 2025 – Total News Agency-TNA – The government of the island of Taiwan announced the start of an unprecedented campaign to distribute a civil defense manual to the territory's 9.8 million households, in a clear recognition that it is under a permanent threat from neighboring China, which claims the island as its own and maintains a strategy of military, political, and cybernetic pressure. The manual, which was updated this past September, explains in detail how to act in extreme scenarios ranging from natural disasters to a potential Chinese invasion. But for Taiwanese authorities, these costs are minor compared to the imperative of being ready for the current situation. On the international stage, this move nullifies any interpretation that the tension between China and Taiwan is distant or symbolic. The Taipei government is sending a clear message: the Chinese threat is not eventual, it is permanent. The goal is for citizens not only to depend on the armed forces, but to understand their role in the contingency, which fits with the growing focus on civil defense in democracies facing persistent threats. However, the initiative also raises questions. It also describes how confrontation tactics can include not only direct combat, but also cyber interference, sabotage of submarine cables, waves of drones, movements of mobile troops, and continued diplomatic pressure. From the perspective of the executive in Taipei, distributing the manual to all households aims to reinforce the self-protection culture, raise awareness about the real risks the island faces, and raise the psychological barrier against external aggression. In this context, the manual is part of the strategy known as 'total defense' or 'societal resilience,' which seeks to involve all citizens as active participants in the response to the threat. The manual's text explicitly warns that any claims about the government's surrender or the country's military defeat should be considered false, a preventive measure against possible disinformation campaigns driven from China. Some analysts warn that transforming the daily lives of civilians into an exercise in military preparedness can have side effects on public morale, generate a constant sense of crisis, and even normalize the idea of urban combat or invasion. And the measures are not limited to the military sphere, but involve society as a whole.