Written by Tom Wilson. Urban resilience drills in Taiwan have been promoted as a cornerstone of President Lai’s whole-of-society approach to preparing for contingencies and crises. How do they look in practice? Drawing on observations of the urban resilience exercise in Douliu, this article explores how everyday state-society relationships can shape and complicate efforts to build resilience.
Written by Dr Kristina Kironska. This article identifies three observations of the week-long interdisciplinary visit to Taipei, namely the centrality of resilience, Taiwan’s self-perception of being a small country and the prominence of AI across diverse settings and policy domains. The Taipei meetings offer the opportunity to observe Taiwan through multiple institutional lenses in a compressed period of time.
Written by Thung-Hong Lin. In 2025, Taiwan confronted overlapping crises, from political deadlock and geopolitical strain to extreme weather and public violence. As formal institutions slowed under polarisation, civic networks filled the gap. Volunteer mobilisation after the Hualien landslides and civilian intervention during the Taipei Main Station attack showed how everyday collective action became a quiet but decisive source of resilience.
Written by Paulina G. Karim and Kuang-Chung Lee. This article discusses how the Taiwan Ecological Network integrates conservation and adaptation strategies to build resilient landscapes and seascapes in the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The authors highlight community-based resilience assessments and adaptive co-management practices, demonstrating the role of Indigenous and local knowledge in safeguarding both ecological systems and community well-being in Taiwan’s socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes.
Written by Charles Mok and Dr Kenny Huang. This article examines Taiwan’s critical reliance on its undersea cable system for digital resilience in the face of potential blockades and disruptions. It emphasises the need for Taiwan to enhance its strategy by expanding partnerships to position itself as a regional “transfer station” for digital traffic while fostering investment and cross-sector collaboration to strengthen its connectivity infrastructure.
Written by Malcolm Turnbull. Countries that displease China have been threatened with economic consequences. It might be boycotting Japanese retailers; or stopping tourism to South Korea. Or as we have seen in Australia, holding up beef exports and slapping tariffs on wine. On the other hand, and especially in the developing world, billions are being offered for infrastructure development through the Belt and Road initiative.
