Taiwan will mail a printed handbook to its 23 million residents explaining how to prepare for natural disasters and how civilians should act in the event of a military attack. The booklet recommends a one-week supply of staples and a ready go-bag, and offers guidance for encounters with hostile forces. It also warns about cybersecurity and privacy risks from certain China-linked apps and devices. About 11 million copies will be printed, including 105,000 English editions; distribution starts this week and ends by January.
Taiwan to Mail Survival Handbooks to 23 Million Residents — Includes Guidance for Natural Disasters and a Potential Chinese Invasion
Taiwan will mail a printed handbook to its 23 million residents explaining how to prepare for natural disasters and how civilians should act in the event of a military attack. The booklet recommends a one-week supply of staples and a ready go-bag, and offers guidance for encounters with hostile forces. It also warns about cybersecurity and privacy risks from certain China-linked apps and devices. About 11 million copies will be printed, including 105,000 English editions; distribution starts this week and ends by January.
04:42 PM, 11/18/2025Security
Taiwan to distribute survival handbook covering typhoons, emergencies and potential military threats
Taiwan's Defense Ministry announced that a printed handbook will be mailed to the island's 23 million residents this week. First revealed in September, the booklet explains how households can prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies — and how civilians should respond in the event of a military attack or incursion.
Practical preparedness: The handbook recommends keeping a one-week supply of staples such as rice and noodles, maintaining a ready go-bag (including a compact sleeping bag) by the door for rapid evacuation, and basic steps to take during natural disasters like typhoons.
Guidance for military contingencies: It outlines possible threats — from sabotage of undersea cables and unilateral no-fly-zone declarations to a full-scale invasion — and offers step-by-step advice for civilians who encounter suspected enemy soldiers. The booklet stresses that reports claiming the government has surrendered or the nation is defeated are false, and it urges citizens to move away quickly from nearby military activity and to avoid photographing or filming Taiwan's own military movements to protect operational security.
Cybersecurity and privacy warnings: The manual warns about potential cybersecurity and privacy risks posed by certain China-linked mobile apps, naming DeepSeek, WeChat, TikTok and RedNote, and cautions that some cameras in Chinese-brand devices could be exploited in a crisis.
"Given natural disasters such as typhoons and the military threat from China, we want our people to understand that the more prepared we are, the safer we will be," said Shen Wei-chih, director of Taiwan's All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of China and has said it seeks reunification — by force if necessary. Under President Xi Jinping, China has stepped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure around the island, regularly sending jets and naval vessels near Taiwan.
The Defense Ministry said it will print about 11 million copies of the booklet — including 105,000 English-language editions for foreign consulates, media and residents — aiming to reach roughly 9.8 million households. Distribution is scheduled to begin this week and finish by January.
Context: The release follows similar civilian guidance issued earlier this year by Sweden and Finland, which updated public instructions on surviving wartime conditions as NATO members strengthened defenses amid the Ukraine war.