Taiwan's tensions with China, military exercises by China, Taiwanese leaders asserting self-rule, individuals formulating responses to conflict, civil defense fairs teaching missile strike protection, accumulation of passports for peaceful lives, implications of recent Taiwan election on Taiwan-China relationship, families preparing for potential war, navigating military service, considering leaving Taiwan due to war risk and military threats
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Quick takeaways
Taiwanese families are actively preparing for potential military conflict with China by participating in civil defense fairs and teaching their children how to respond to missile attacks.
Some Taiwanese families are seeking citizenship in foreign countries as a means to legally avoid or delay mandatory military service for their children, motivated by the risk of war and military threats from China.
Deep dives
Preparing for Potential Attack on Taiwan
In the face of escalating tensions between Taiwan and China, Taiwanese families are seeking ways to prepare for a potential attack. At a civil defense fair, children are taught how to respond to missile attacks, including protecting their eyes, ears, and internal organs. The event aims to educate families on civil defense measures, with activities such as finding shelters, bandaging wounds, and packing emergency backpacks. Some families, like Raymond and his mother Grace, believe that military service is important for national defense and maturation. They view it as everyone's responsibility, regardless of gender. They participate in these events to ensure their children are prepared for the possibility of military combat.
Seeking Overseas Citizenship to Avoid Military Service
Another response to the threat of war is seeking citizenship in foreign countries to avoid mandatory military service. Olivia, a mother with a son named Ted, is exploring ways for her family to obtain overseas citizenship. They are pursuing citizenship in countries like Turkey and other undisclosed African countries through investment programs and other means. By securing citizenship outside Taiwan, they hope to legally avoid or delay military service for Ted. They consider the risk of war and military threats from China as their motivation for taking these steps.
Protecting Children from the Potential Risk of War
While wealth allows some families to explore options like overseas citizenship, for most Taiwanese families, leaving the country is not financially feasible. Instead, they focus on preparing themselves and their children for the possibility of a war with China. They participate in civil defense events and activities to equip their children with knowledge and skills to navigate potential conflict situations. Despite the distant likelihood of war, they want to ensure their children are ready for any eventuality and protected from the possible risks associated with military combat.
Taiwan’s politics have long been defined by tensions with China, which claims the island as its own. Over the past several years, China has stepped up military exercises and Taiwanese leaders have responded by asserting the island’s self-rule — a tension that shows little sign of easing with the weekend’s election of current vice president Lai Ching-te to the presidency.
Across Taiwan, individuals are formulating their own responses to the specter of conflict. Our previous Big Take episode showed one young military veteran’s determination to defend Taiwan set him on a tragic course to Ukraine. In this episode, Bloomberg reporters Wan Chien-Hua and Yang Yang explore those who are plotting flights to safety. Some attend civil defense fairs, which teach where to shelter and drill kids on five ways to protect from missile strikes (plug ears; open mouth). Others accumulate passports to foreign countries that may promise more peaceful lives.