In the grand amphitheatre of geopolitics, Taiwan just took centre stage – and it’s not reading from the old script.
The island’s latest civil defence drill, a gritty simulation of chaos – explosions, earthquakes, tsunamis – unfolded without military help. Not your average fire drill, this was an unmistakable message aimed squarely at two audiences: Beijing and Washington.
To China, it was a signal of defiance. To America, a plea for seriousness.
Lai’s bid to get Trump onside
President Lai Ching-te is trying to rebrand Taiwan’s military image from bureaucratic backwater to frontline fortress. Drills, defence spending, civilian resilience – he’s shifting from talk to action. But, as Washington heats up with another Trump term and officials question Taiwan’s commitment, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Trump’s camp is already suggesting US support should come with a price tag – a very high one.
Lai wants to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP. Trump’s man Elbridge Colby says it should be higher. This isn’t policy – this is poker, and Taiwan’s been called.
Taipei’s military critics say it’s all still too staged, too slow. But Lai knows performance matters. And this drill was a spectacle designed to jolt minds out of complacency. It was a PR move with teeth.
Taipei wants to avoid a Kiev scenario
Because in the shadow of Ukraine, where borders were crossed and red lines blurred, Taiwan can’t afford to look passive. The optics of preparedness are now as vital as the arsenal behind it.
Yes, there’s still a gap between rhetoric and readiness. But in the performance of global power, Taiwan is learning the new rules: don’t just defend – be seen to defend.
This isn’t just a drill. It’s a trailer for a war that everyone hopes never screens. But as ever, the show must go on – and Taiwan, for now, is refusing to be cast as the victim.
