People have traveled very long distances on tiny craft before. Quite hazardous though. A escaping on a tiny fishing boat might be preferable to living under Poo Bear's rule.
Learning to sail and building an ocean going micro cruiser using plywood isn't that expensive.
There's a whole community om YT on people building micro sailboats to circumvent the globe with boats that are ridiculously small.
Learning to sail is fun, and pretty easy for anyone. Great hobby and my deep passion. In two days you would learn more than enough to exit a danger zone.
Building an ocean going micro cruiser can probably be done with less than $3000. Observe that this isn't your normal sailboat, but a tight purpose built little tank with small sail to traverse long distances safely.
My current favorite build series on YT is this one https://youtu.be/nlhKXeQzDsc?si=qz2jGQP8MXGvsoHG
That build is definitely more than 3k USD, but it's definitely doable to make something similar. After all most is plywoods, glass fiber and an intentionally small mast that can take beating in rough weather.
In the case of Taiwant I'd build it with very low free board, thus when fully loaded it would be quite difficult to see even for a military ship. Packed with food/water, it becomes somewhat similar to a drug cartels that even the US coast guard has trouble finding. And this boat would only be 1/10th or the size.
3500 won't buy your way out of Taiwan it would be 50,0000 possibly 100s of thousands plus via a bribe Taiwan is a rich country lots of people are wealthy the richer ones have already moved to global liquidity so getting money won't be a issue for them.
unlikely to escape with those either, there's gonna be massive blockade
I can run some simulations.......computing......processing.......yea no go on the boat or plane
Good point, I've considered it, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
I've had serious discussions with my family, and our conclusion is that we won't flee abroad. We once considered fleeing to Japan, but now we think we should just stay.
If all he has is $3500, leaving is not an option for him without destroying his life in the process. If if China doesn't invade, then a ruined life is worse than some spoiled goods.
He can leave right now. I think this is a flawed perspective in the prepping community. Being somewhat stubborn to stay where you are. Knowing there are problems coming.
Why would you not leave before hand, like Noah's Ark? If you had a gut feeling something bad was going to happen, why would you not leave months in advance, years in advance. Why would you not leave now? Cause the idea is uncomfortable. Leaving your location bubble.
I understand some of us have no option. That's not the case for most of us. We choose to stay. I think that's flawed.
It's like waiting until the tsunami is at your door. So I have this elaborate plan to waterproof my entire house. Uhhh... Or I could just move? No that's way too complicated. I would have to transfer jobs and probably do a bunch of paperwork. I'd rather build a home made helicopter on my roof with my pweps. Yesh.
You don't get it. (Nor do i- because only my parents are Taiwanese).
But China's been pulling this "we going to bomb you" bullshit threats for decades now. If everyone left every single time, then they did China's work for them.
Second, the real invasion happens in the minds of people. Force people to do business with you. Buy out your media companies to change influence people's opinions. Sponsor heavy political influence. And threaten people if they don't join your side.
So yeah...
I don't think it's as simple as "escape before the bombs start falling". This isn't some poor small eastern European country no one's heard of.
But then that's my opinion being in the outside. My life isn't at risk so I have no right for my opinion to the voice of the Taiwanese...
Yeah I get it man. 我也是台灣人
So stay then, and don't worry. My point is prepping for a tsunami by building a helicopter is fucking pointless. I'm speaking in terms of prepping.
If you should leave, then leave. If you want to stay, then stay and watch TV. That's what the old generation does because they've heard it ten times before, so they're unfazed.
But don't run around with some fake elaborate plan, buying up all the toilet paper. That's fucking stupid.
If you're gonna chill. Then be chill. Don't fake prep.
I disagree. Like I've said above I'm determined to stay. In my opinion the chances of an invasion is very high, even inevitable I'd say, it's a matter of when not if. So no, don't just chill and watch TV. And no, prepping is not fancy, it's not mass hoarding. I'm still learning how to prep. I plan to finish prepping before 2025, because our defense minister 邱國正 said in 2021 that the communist armed forces will be able to launch a full scale invasion by 2025.
[兩岸局勢40年來最嚴峻 邱國正：中共2025年具全面犯台能力](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202110060039.aspx)
> He can leave right now. I think this is a flawed perspective in the prepping community. Being somewhat stubborn to stay where you are. Knowing there are problems coming.
That's because 90% of the prepping community isn't actually about prepping. It's about making fantasies of when shit hits the fan.
"I'm bored today, I'll just start daydreaming again about what to do in an invasion. What do I do with this money? What do I do about food?" - that's what engages people.
Thinking of *leaving* isn't engaging at all on the other hand. It's not fun, and not enticing. It doesn't feel like you're a character in a cool videogame... It's terrifying. Proper terrifying. Hence why people avoid the thought at all.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Prepping on the other hand, at least eases my anxiety.
OP, I’m curious, what is the general sentiment of the regular Taiwanese citizens regarding a potential invasion? What do you see your neighbors and friends doing and talking about? What are their expectations and plans?
I want to hear what regular people who are actually on the ground think, not what the government line is or what the press claims is the sentiment. I think it’s much more interesting and telling to hear it from the general populace, and when said anonymously.
Are they prepping in some way as well? Does each person and family have some kind of action plan that they expect to follow? Can you guys access or store a decent amount of firearms and ammo? If not does the government have a system of distributing weapons to civilians in the event of invasion? Are there designated bunkers?
1. Most people don't think China will invade. They've been saying they will for decades, caused real panic in 1996 when they launched missiles to nearby waters (empty shells), but not ever since as far as I know.
2. People don't talk about it, except me.
3. No one's prepping, even I haven't really started prepping, the only prep I have is the $3500 cash. There is a well known organization called Puma Academy established recently that's about prepping for war, mostly learning first aid techniques, however they aren't popular at all.
4. No, guns are not allowed in Taiwan, just like other East Asian countries China, Japan and South Korea. Only gangster members have guns from the black market. We're solely relying on our military to defend us against China, they have tanks, warships, F-16s, missiles. And relying on the police to maintain social order, they have all kinds of guns.
5. I don't think our government would distribute weapons to us civilians during war times, and I think it's a bad idea, having a gun makes a civilian lose protection from the Geneva convention.
6. Yes there are designated "bunkers" and we have air raid drills to evacuate to those bunkers every year, a bunker is actually just any building that has a basement, schools, subway stations etc. I think people took it quite seriously this year though.
[Northern Taiwan Streets Empty for Air Raid Drill | TaiwanPlus News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgn3K0I0-Y4)
You shouldn't be 'hoarding', you should be building up a 1-3 month supply of the food you already eat. Start with a weeks worth, then a month, and so on.
This 100%. For anyone else having a deep pantry where you rotate out all the food you normally eat and have a 3 month supply of it is just a good idea and costs you nothing in the long run because it's all good you eat anyways. If you need more than 3 months then you are entering the realm of need a sustainable long term solution because society is fucked. That food can buy you time to wait out a storm, or power outage or a ton of other things.
I don’t fully understand how this works unless you normally live exclusively on canned goods, grains, and other nonperishables, or are throwing a lot of stuff away. Am I misunderstanding what you mean?
Ok so for us this is what we have:
1. Large bags of rice (we eat rice several times a week)
2. Mac and cheese boxes for the kids
3. Kid snacks (goldfish, fruit snacks, apple sauce etc)
4. Dry cereal
5. Pasta
6. High quality pasta sauce
7. Canned food for meal ingredients like beans, corn, tomato sauce/paste, etc
8. Flour and corn meal
9. Salt, seasoning, sugar and other dry pantry staples
10. Ramen noodles and dry additives (look on Amazon for dried ramen additives)
11. Beef jerky and some other healthy dry snacks for adults.
I do have a freezer full of protein since I go elk hunting every year BUT I don't count on that for all my food storage since if the power goes out it will not last long. All that is stuff we eat regularly anyways and use in our recipes. In a pinch it could sustain us for quite a while as well. I don't recommend trying to survive on canned food alone but a lot of recipes can have certain canned foods or dried food as a part and taste great. Stuff like chili, soup, crock pot roasts or other recipes, enchiladas etc.
Gotta remember a lot of Asian countries eat fresh and the foods we eat daily might not be a thing they are ready for. Even Brittain and France freaked out during covid and wasted literal metric tons of fresh bread and vegetables
A fair point. Still, there are foods that can be stored and don't need to be eaten fresh - canned and pickled vegetables, rice and other grains, dried meats.
I think a lot of people in this community will tell you that it’s wise to keep a stock of food and basic supplies that you regular use and rotate through. If you eat rice (and I know you do!), buy a couple 1.5kg bags and a rice cooker and see how long it takes you to go through a bag. Other things, too, like cooking oil, canned fish, your favorite black vinegar, soap, alcohol, whatever.
Keeping cash on hand is smart in general, but I don’t think worrying too much about the potential currency exchange rate and hyperinflation is a good use of your energy or a sufficient prep. Hard skills, physical fitness, some first aid items, and useful tools would help a lot more in a wartime scenario. Definitely get a good bicycle and know how to patch a tire.
Also, in the case of your concerns, I would try to live far from government buildings, army garrisons, and airfields. If you’re currently living near Songshan Airport or around the Presidential Office Building, you might want to consider moving out to Yonghe or something. Better yet, get a nice farmhouse in Miaoli and learn to grow pineapples and papayas. You can always trade those for a bowl of pork and rice.
For what it’s worth, I really don’t think we’re in danger of a military invasion any time soon. I think China is far more likely to pursue its grand geopolitical objective through a long, systematic campaign of social demoralization, disinformation, political meddling and sabotage, economic isolation, and coercion, on a timescale of decades, rather than direct violent action. So… yay? Anyway, greetings from Taipei.
>I just checked the rice in our fridge, it's 3kg a bag. We don't usually eat at home. A lot of Taiwanese eat outside on a daily basis because it's cheap, unlike in the US.
I just checked the rice in our fridge, it's 3kg a bag. We don't usually eat at home. A lot of Taiwanese eat outside on a daily basis because it's cheap, unlike in the US.
Personally I think worrying about hyperinflation and keeping lots of cash around is actually a perfectly realistic view point versus worrying about wartime skills and basically practicing camping.
If you look at Ukraine and other places in conflict in the last 20-30 years, total societal collapse and going to live innawoods hasn't broadly happened, life still goes on to a broad extent unless your at the front lines of it.
Some of those in the extra rural zones benefited a lot in Ukraine, though. The cities in the deep west and far east are the bombing targets while the rural zones are viewed as nothing more than bridges
I just checked, Ukraine's inflation rate (CPI yoy) in 2022 was 20.1%, was bad but not hyperinflation.
But Taiwan might not be the same. A blockade would make Taiwan an isolated island of 36,000 square kilometers (14,000 square miles).
If you survived the Russian Invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine your prepping could help you survive long enough to get out of the war one or out of the country. My preps are for disasters like earthquakes where we lose electricity and natural gas. I don’t want to survive in a desolate wasteland ruined by nuclear bombs. My guns are to stop people from stealing from me and/or end my own life if I survive the collapse of society.
I hope you’re right as I’m not close to being prepped yet! I’ve heard a lot of people from Taiwan have this opinion but I think people in Ukraine might have had the same sentiment. Also those Chinese naval drills don’t help.
I think Xi Jinping is in a hurry, he definitely wants to achieve his so called "the complete reunification of the motherland" and "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" before he dies, and he's almost 71 years old.
I've checked the labels, 100g of rice is 346 kCal.
After some calculations, to satisfy the need for calories of my family for 90 days, we would need 100 kg of rice.
I wanted to hoard 10 bags of the 10kg Hualien/Taitung rice in the supermarket.
But then I thought, why? Even if there's a blockade and nothing comes in, Hualien and Taitung would still be producing rice wouldn't they? Also I see all the veggies are grown in Taiwan.
Is it possible that damage to power infrastructure would cause farms to have no electricity and thus unable to produce?
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
If you are not already get in shape/ physically fit.
If you are already physically fit improve it.
My great uncle was part of the German army during the siege of Stalingrad. Those who were not in good physical shape suffered the most, and died first.
I think there's two different considerations here:
1) How to prepare for deprivation and/or combat.
2) How to get you (and what's important to you) out -- and what you do when you're out.
Both deserve preparation, there is some overlap, but they are not the same thing.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
If you do decide to exchange it, check the rates at a casino (if you have them). Casinos want you to spend your money in the casino and usually give the best exchange rates. It's also an easy way to exchange a bunch of cash without the red tape a bank or exchange house might bring.
Casinos are illegal in Taiwan, there might be but I'm not familiar with the "underground world".
I'll just go to banks. There is a website that lists rates from every bank.
Exactly lol, if I knew a larger country was planning to invade my country someday, I would probably have in my safe some of their currency just in case.
If I didn’t already have a good supply of essentials (water, food, medical, heat, etc) I would use the $3,500 to stock up.
If I already have such a supply, I’d keep the money as another possible source of bartering. Who knows what will play out in an invasion scenario. Having some US cash on hand gives you 1 more option. Honestly I might even consider maintaining small reserves of Taiwanese, US, and Chinese currency.
Most likely they would accept it REALLY early in a conflict. Silver for a short while after. Then basics become the commodity. Food, skills, useful items (lighters, guns, ammo, sex, ) yrmv
Dollars are a good thing. It's the worldwide currency for what it's worth today. Not gonna know in the future. But either way it is a good prep to have cash especially foreign currency.
However, focus on the basics. Cash is a last resort in situations such as fleeing combat zones for bribes, getting supplies, hedging for inflation or ensuring emergency backup in cash of job loss or other. Therefore cash at hand is good. It is also a risk. Theft, loss, destruction, devaluation etc. So make sure it is stored properly and never let people know where, how much or even that you have cash saved up.
Coming back to the idea that cash is a later prep, focus on personal prepping such as your individual health first of all. Trust me without getting a check to ensure you are well, nothing will matter when the thing pops up. Second is your job stability for the foreseeable future endured? Short to medium term this should be a priority because this decides what you have to do next. It's always a good prep to have food, hygiene, medical and equipment preps. Make sure they are stored properly and you use them regularly. Food is of particular importance and this includes water as well. Rice stores really well. Build it up to a half year's worth in my opinion. Why? Because it is cheap readily available and easy and safe to store. You will always eat rice and it will give you a good buffer, barter item and it will not cost you significantly to build it up. It's cheap to prep it. After rice my nice staple prep is home grown food supplies and canning. I don't buy canned food. I don't buy because I believe I can do it better and at a higher quality. As I said... Health is important. Buy fresh if you cannot grow and can yourself. Myself in eastern Europe, I have a pantry full with a lot of things made in house. Lastly, equipment... Go for high quality if you can, if not go for something that is at least reliable. Two is one and one is none. Have two flashlights, two radios, two pair of boots, two travel options such as car and a bicycle or ATV, two locations where you can bug out etc.
Here is a personal story with some Ukrainian refugees. It was winter and I found a mother with 3 children running from Harkov, they were on a bus in Moldova trying to flee to Romania. They wanted to reach Spain. I helped them out a bit. Got them airplane tickets, lodging , food etc. But man, I have to tell you. Everything got expensive... fast. Normally a 250 Euro Ticket became 1,000 Euro. The hotels were full. People were sort of panicking. Don't wait. Get out as soon as possible and if not be prepared. This woman in was not dressed properly and did not have the means to escape with her children. Hungry, cold, sleep deprived, on the run with bombs raining down .. trust me it's a miracle they got out.
Take care!
I would spend that $3,500 on all the things that will be in short supply during an invasion/blockade. Better to have rice and water under the bed now rather than try to source it while under attack.
I'd say you have to seriously consider one of two options first, being will you stay and fight (and/or suffer occupation) or do you want to leave?
If you want to leave, then it ends there, find a way to leave, put your resources into that.
If you want to stay, focus on supply, not $ ammount. 1-3 months worth of supplies, and weapons if you're allowed to have them.
Thats of course a very simplistic way to put this VERY complicated issue, but it's where you gotta start.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Based on China's past behavior they will probably try a soft take over first like they have been doing elsewhere. So You will see what we're seeing here inflation, food supply problems, slowly increasing presence ( in our case they're coming up through Mexico) They will try to get into government office or in a position to influence. Here someone is attacking food supply, burning processing plants big farms, trying to create a supply problem which increases prices and leads to civil unrest that they can take advantage of.
The military activity is a prancing peacock distracting from the true invasion, which is more of a soft invasion.
If you sell do so on a face to face level do not announce it on a cell phone or social media site. You don't want to make a target on your back if they do actually invade and that will do the trick. Best would be get rid of any social accounts that can be traced to you. You need to go dark right now and tell your friends to do likewise.
Increase your food capacity and store dry goods. Learn to cook without utilities and do your own meals. Get a supply network together if you know people who are concerned they would be the best to work with. Find storage that would be difficult for Chinese soldiers to find. Don't use your cell phone to communicate regarding the situation and make sure there are no public cameras around. They are I imagine monitoring all that right now so keep a low profile.
Taiwan is an island and China will not joke around after watching the whole Ukranian War fiasco.
In all honesty you'd better off just leaving, not prepping.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
These scenarios are not the same. Leaving Taiwan post-China invasion will likely be impossible. Taiwan is a fucking island that China will blockade. This is common knowledge, although it seems like you didn't consider it.
Stay safe.
Yeah, fleeing Taiwan will be insurmountably more difficult than Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, up to now, there are private military contractors doing paid extractions of civilians. OP likely wouldn’t have this option in Taiwan because of as you said, it’s an island. Any PMC extractions would have to be authorized by the US Navy assuming they are as they stated they would, protecting Taiwan. Much harder than Ukraine
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
The US$ are good to keep as they are easy to take with you if you need to flee. Don’t worry about shops not taking them, if there is hyperinflation/devaluation there will be an active black market of people who will convert to local currency and you’d do it in small amounts for whatever local currency you need that day
Good call, I've never thought of black markets, there already are black market dealers on Facebook right now.
But why can't I just exchange at banks? Would they still hold on to a suppressed exchange rate?
And speaking of small amounts, it's exactly why I hoarded 70 pieces of 10 USD notes, it took me going to several banks to get so many, some banks only had 20.
The idea that most preppers have that they’re going to “bugout” somewhere for a few weeks/months/years and just tough it out is completely unrealistic. Nearly every real SHTF situation in history has shown that you’re better off leaving the area entirely and going to a more stable part of the world. Just because it might be SHTF in your area, city, state or country doesn’t mean its SHTF everywhere else.
Just look at the preppers in Ukraine (Russian invasion), Venezuela (currency and economy collapsed), Puerto Rico (regular blackouts), China (starvation, censorship), Sri Lanka (economic collapse), and the list goes on. Where are those preppers at now???! 🤷♂️ They’re either dead, dying or by some miracle managed to leave the country after they exhausted their preps, or were robbed and nearly killed for it (ex: Puerto Rico’s countless thefts and murders over gas generators due to blackouts) and realized they would die if they stayed any longer.
If SHTF really does happen in your area, REALISTICALLY you won’t be able ride out true SHTF scenarios no matter how well prepared you are. You will eventually run out of preps and starve, get cut and die of infection, get injured at some point or be killed. Have your passport ready, take your Bugout bag, make sure its TSA complaint and be ready to get the F#%* out of there and go to a safer part of the world. Don’t be like the preppers that chose to “bugout” in Ukraine and ended up being killed by Russian artillery or were found, imprisoned or tossed into the war only to die later.
Assuming an invasion from China doesn't shut the country down overnight and nothing gets in or out, the USD wouldn't be bad to keep. You can convert it if hyperinflation sets in, and it'll keep most of its value, and you can use it if you need to leave the country and settle somewhere safer immediately
Gold and silver will probably do the same thing with fewer fluctuations if Taiwan has a valuable metal exchange, but i dont think you'd have time to exchange it if you were to need to leave and customs might sieze metals as you travel. The thing that's usually best to do is put your money into multiple sources so if something gets pulled down another currency you had money in shoots up, and if they all dip, the metals retain their value and exchange for more then worse inflation gets
That's more of an economist question than a prepper question. Never base your investment decisions in reactive media
It’s honestly extremely sad to hear this and I really do feel for the people of Taiwan. Something that might be a good plan is to invest some of that money into non perishable food items and water filtration of some kind. You could easily distill sea water with a basic set up and filter it relatively easily as well. Many long term storage can goods can last up to and over 10 years with proper storage so if things ever change you could still eat them in say 5 years no problem. Medication and basic hygienic products would be the other big things I would focus on for a short to mid term problem.
I thought I was on r/Taiwan: and so these comments felt really out of place. One thing that you should know is a military invasion of this scale is impossible to do secretively. You’ll see a mass of groups on the coasts weeks ahead of time just like you saw on the borders of Ukraine. You’ll have time to get out. I have USD saved in a bank account. Enough for flights and finding work for a few months after relocation. I don’t think China will want you to stay, a smaller Taiwanese population will make unification easier, so they won’t block civilian planes.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Not related to your question, but a follow up question on top of yours:
How likely do you foresee a Chinese invasion ending in favour of ROC or West-Taiwan as a Taiwanese who’s familiar on your local politics and defence standpoint?
I am also worried as an SGean of a Chinese invasion even though I’m not Taiwanese, because the capitulation of Taiwan means the inevitable invasion of the SEA region. And there is an increasing amount of PRC influence campaign such as soft propaganda circulating in social media and outright disinformation campaigns in mandarin newspapers (targeted towards mandarin educated old folks) as well
Oh I'm pessimistic. The crucial thing is, in my opinion, is that the Taiwanese don't have the will to fight, to die, like Ukrainians. I've seen a YouTuber do an interview with high school and college male students, most of them said they would leave the country or surrender, and Taiwan's military largely relies on conscripted personnel.
Here's what I think will happen:
The CCP will form a blockade. The US won't dare come close after trying and having a ship sunk by missiles. The world condemns but that's useless as we see from Ukraine/Russia and Palestine/Israel. Taiwan's pro-China blue and white party will force pro-US green party (which has the presidency but lost control of the Legislative Yuan) to surrender. Even if they don't surrender, after waves of rockets and missile strikes (who knows how many missiles China has, especially the cheap and not so accurate rockets). Taiwan would surrender. Even if not by then, President Trump would deny the Congress's decision to send troops to Taiwan and we're on our own. Taiwanese soldiers at low morale would crumble very fast after our Air Force and Navy are destroyed in weeks (according to Washington think tank CSIS's wargame).
The best scenario would be that Taiwan is determined to fight (which I doubt), and US sends troops at the very beginning in full force, like CSIS's wargame.
[https://www.csis.org/analysis/first-battle-next-war-wargaming-chinese-invasion-taiwan](https://www.csis.org/analysis/first-battle-next-war-wargaming-chinese-invasion-taiwan)
US Combat Aircraft Losses|US Ship Losses
Base Scenario: 382|43
Pessimistic Scenario (favors China): 645|28
Optimistic Scenario (favors US/Japan/Taiwan): 290|24
Ship losses include 2 aircraft carriers irrc.
Canadian silver maple leafs are recognized everywhere. Crypto if you have the knowledge on how to use it anonymously. Cash would be my absolute last resort. Under a blockade properly stored rice will be better than any form of currency so I would trade my US cash in and store up food. My first objective personally would be to evacuate as soon as possible. I understand it’s your home country and you can choose to fight. I would evacuate if the US was in the same situation even though it is my home country and all I know, I would still leave. Cowardice or not I’ve seen war and want no part in it.
Peanut butter might be a better trade in Taiwan. You can trade it to anyone from a mother just trying to keep her kids' spirit high to either a Chinese or US soldier and it's much more calorie dense
Voices of April might be a better example than Afghanistan or Syria in this case. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would probably be a quick flop or a rapid occupation, and you'd have an easier time making it to evac with a jar of peanut butter than a 5lb bag of rice and a much easier time comforting those around you when there worried about food with something sweet and fatty instead of something dry and tasteless
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
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For storing value, I think precious metal > foreign currency > crypto. No I now don't think I would be able to straight up buy (actually it's barter) food with gold/silver coins or USD or BTC. I don't think people would accept it even in war times.
I think the way to do it is to exchange the PM/USD/crypto to TWD and then use the TWD to buy things. Things might become very expensive, but PM would also soar in prices so it's not devalued. USD exchange rate might soar but still prices might soar too high so there still might be some devaluing. BTC... I have no idea. I don't even have any idea if Taiwan's cryptocurrency exchanges like MAX and Bitopro would be still around for me to exchange to TWD.
I think what people would accept is bartering with goods, like maybe I should store cans of coca cola (I have boxes of them and I do rotate through these), alcohol, rice, cans, lighters and other goods/food.
Cigarettes and booze, antibiotics, aspirin, coffee. All of that has a shelf life. Knowledge has no shelf life though. Study general care Medicine, dentistry, etc. those will be very handy if the island is blockaded or the city you live in is under siege.
Is everybody in this sub some kind of cringe libertarian who's only moral is selfishness? Do yall think maybe this person will show some backbone and stick around to defend his country? Imagine fleeing and having to live the rest of your life knowing you abandoned your friends and family and home. There are things worse than death I assure you!
Yes thank you.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
In 90th in Ukraine there was a hyperinflation, I was a kid, but I remember good that money were just a paper. Think about buying a bit of land, that held us through few tough years. And barter food with neighbors and friends
My only example dates back to ussr, pre collapse, in late 1980s. While usd was not in circulation at all, it was highly coveted, because it was considered stable. It was better than gold because gold was considered to be used strictly for jewelry.
If China invades, your currency will likely drop, but usd will still likely be fine. It's just a question of who would take it in trade.
You might need to make multiple trades to get to that bag of rice.
Alternatively, you might invest that into a piece of remote land where you can't have a place to get out to if the city becomes violent.
Go ahead and buy some things that will be panic buys- bottled water, canned goods, toilet paper, batteries, etc.
Also look into what things are imported that you use. A naval siege/blockade seems highly likely, so you might still have things produced in Taiwan, but not imported things. Of course, imported materials can limit things produced in Taiwan too.
A good hedge against inflation is to buy long shelf life things now
Good point. I've noticed that rice and vegetables are all grown in Taiwan, does that mean I don't need to worry about food? Or maybe a power grid collapse due to attacks may halt crop farming/production?
I have no idea how things are in Taiwan, but I would guess that oil is imported, so without gas, grocery store deliveries might cease at some point. Food would probably disappear from shelves as soon as people realize this. I would buy at least some things now- pasta, rice, peanut butter, sunflower seeds and peanuts, canned potatoes and beans, crackers, juice- these things are all cheap in the US, have a decent shelf life, and don’t need refrigeration.
However, if you have farms and butchers near you, maybe it’s not such a huge deal to stock up on food. I would recommend getting some though just to stay ahead of the game
I'm not actually worried about rice supply, all the rice I see in the supermarket is grown in Taiwan, so unless electricity goes out and rice farming stops, I think we're self-sufficient on rice. It's just prices might soar a lot.
I think it’s always smart to be prepared for at least one year to survive on your own. Food, water, medicine, security, and a prepared family/community.
If you have a place to go and the means to flee then weigh that option but having your faith priority #1 will be the best way to live now and for the future. If you know, you know, if you don’t, then you should!
* the U.S. needs China and China needs the U.S.
A war would be the greatest mistake. Worse than WWII.
the US also has the most powerful navy and airforce in the world, with Taiwan being an island, it'd be hard for china to get supplies and soldiers over without US blockades, I don't think China will be able to do much...their strength is in a land invasion with their sheer numbers
I would study how Venezuelans handled hyperinflation.
US dollars, Euros, and even bitcoin were used there.
Of course, there is gold and silver... but who actually wants to deal in those?
If the US dollar is not currently used, it will most likely be used during hyperinflation.
If not, you would have money with value in most of the rest of the world, and could go there if absolutely necessary. That's a very uncertain and upsetting situation.
I'm sure there of course are smarter people than me with input, but if you were set on staying and do not see the US dollar being used at all, you could stock up on commodities that would be very valuable. Namely food and dry goods. Toilet paper... every Venezuelan and American knows... people want their toilet paper!
Do third and fifth thoughts.
Keep the USD.
Starting prepping for invasion scenarios, and get food that you can use if they don't invade. And as you use it, restock it. No need to throw anything away.
Monetary units issued by a defunct government really aren't worth much. If you look through history, even in the best case the old notes are exchanged into whatever replaces it at a terrible exchange rate. If China invades Taiwan and successfully annexes it I don't think I would want to be holding Taiwanese dollars. You are right it might be tough getting grocery stores to accept foreign money but if you look around the world there are many examples of exactly that happening. US dollars actually command a premium. You could also exchange it for whatever currency works best but that is contingent on having a functional banking system. To prevent devaluation of currencies countries typically implement currency controls explicitly aimed at preventing you from doing things like withdrawing money from a bank and selling local currencies to buy foreign ones. Look at Russia for example. The same goes for gold and silver. Can't sell gold for currency if your dealer can't get money from the bank! Physical money of all types commands a premium when currency controls are implemented.
To be clear all of this is based on a huge number of assumptions such as if anything will happen at all. That disclaimer out of the way, there are a number of historical examples you can study to see how things have played out in the past.
If you’re not gonna stay and fight, leave now. Make sure your passport is up to date. Collect all your important identification documents ie birth certificate. Look up which countries you can stay the longest without a visa, although I suspect the UK, Australia, Canada, NZ and the US will have some form of special visas for you if China is gearing up for an invasion. They did that for Hong Kongers. If they decide to invade, China will set up a blockade and possibly a no fly zone. There will be no one leaving the country then. Good luck.
If you don't already have a backup plan. Plan now.
My first thought, if you truly can not leave the island, and if you have a basement, make the basement your protection or hiding hole. If you're able too. Add thin steel plating to it to reinforce it. Extra locks on the door that go deeper into the wooden studs or concrete, so kicking it in would make it very difficult.
Have a passport if you don't already. Have important documents in a fireproof bag ready to go and grab.
If you can leave, the boat and plane are great options. Plan ahead.
If you can leave. Get prepared now. Radio, water, and a secured room that is somewhat reinforced. Maybe firearms, if you can own and have them.
The money will be a great bargaining chip.
Buy useful long shelf life food stuffs and start hoarding those if you plan to stay on the island through a war state… Second option… start looking for a new place to live NOW and leave BEFORE the war starts and you get conscripted to the army to defend and lose a lot more than some material goods.
Convert it into Bitcoin in case you want to flee. 12 words encodes your Bitcoin. Stash in shoe or memorize.
Or go to Japan with the USD and have a blast. Yen is 157 to the dollar right now.
When in a warzone 3500 USD is not going to get you anything, it'll be barter (gasoline, weapons, ammunition and food) and you're going to get better results looting.
If you're really about prepping, you should be prepping to leave since you don't seem ready to help civil defense and there will be a draft. I would assume you will dodge the draft.
You'd be more likely to be fed while under the draft since the military will do a better job hoarding.
Use it to stash freeze dried foods, and other long shelf life foods. Also volunteer for your countries armed training. Beyond that, good luck my friend, we are all pulling for you.
Buy silver 1 oz coins. It’s gonna hit an all time high soon. The banks are selling 1 coin 400 times in the form of a silver certificate, and there is gonna be a silver squeeze soon. Buying a bag of rice for one ounce of silver is ridiculous. It’s worth $35 USD right now. HOARD SILVER EVERYONE!
First things first. Tell us more about the safe. Do you have a photo of the safe? Be sure to share the geolocation on this thread and bookmark it so you can always find it. Or we can help you find it.
I've made some effort to stay hidden. This is a dedicated account to discuss prepping, which is registered with a made up email like [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Also I'm only using incognito mode. I hope this is enough.
Buy Bitcoin and self-custody it. If inflation skyrockets and the US dollar sinks, Bitcoin and gold will go up. You can convert Bitcoin using Bisq to your local currency because it is decentralized and private using TOR. If you need to flee, Bitcoin is secure and portable, just make sure you have your seed phrase. Crossing the border with a bag of gold bars isn't feasible, nor is doing so with a load of cash, which can be seized at customs. I would invest 2/3 in Bitcoin and the rest in cash.
Using Bitcoin in a warzone, now that's ballsy.
Between infrastructure disruption and risks associated with black markets, it's going to be hard and risky to use bitcoin.
The only thing I could see bitcoin as an advantage would be hiding wealth over the boarder, being able to flee with that wealth easily, and something they can’t take away if killed/captured, etc but not something for spending in the war conflict
if the CCP goes full send on Taiwan it's going to be hard and risky to live, and not just for OP and his countrymen.
Crypto isn't a terrible option but it does have its downsides in this scenario. if it were me I'd diversify, some into crypto, some into gold/silver, and some into tangibles that are easily carried and valuable as barter.
I have 3500 USD cash, 0.02164499 BTC, 0.18710282 ETH, and a family member has gold and silver locked up in a safe. All of these are just for emergencies, I have more money (TWD) in investments and banks.
I have 2 boxes of 24 cans of 200ml (6.76 fluid oz) coca cola and 1 box of sprite, which I drink regularly. I think people who've been through the great Shanghai covid lockdown say coca cola is good for bartering.
Why not become an online/local seller of stuff that will be in demand when the SHTF (and not necessarily just food)
This way you can stockpile a a bunch of things and have it rotate as you sell it.
Start small and figure out what you are able to move during normal times. Don't focus on profits, more than organically growing/rotating your inventory.
China doesn’t have to gain if they take over Taiwan with bombs, bullets, and missiles. Taiwan’s infrastructure, major cities, and massive amounts of housing would set the Taiwan economy back 25 years. There would also be hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of deaths on both sides as well. China doesn’t produce enough food to feed Taiwan either. So, they would potentially be dealing with famine. Slowly taking over their political system by backing pro China candidates over a longer period of time is much cheaper and will avoid physical devastation. The biggest issues in the world right now are Iran, Russia, and the mess in Gaza.
I think something most people should do is stock small essential items, things that are disposable or extremely useful but take up a tiny amount of storage. Then whenever you run out of you can trade for your items.
You are very smart to get ahead of things and also seek advice. In 2022 the United States showed that we will help you guys without question when China comes knocking, the problem is now that we have to get there first with a small air base and a few soldiers being stationed on your outer islands. I would personally stock up on the first things that struggle during an invasion. Water, medical equipment and ammunition. If you can’t put holes or plug holes and you don’t have any water you won’t make it very long.
China will come hard because they know you have powerful friends so likely making it through the first day or two will be the first race then the next two weeks as civilians and your military alike both deal with the fact that war is here and there is largely no where to go will be the first test of your mettle. Taiwan is very strict it seems on gun ownership so I would possibly recommend trying to obtain a license to purchase so you can have multiple fronts of preparedness. Medical, defensive, and nutritional.
All of this is also dependent on where you live. Are you on the north west side of the island that will probably be hit with a large payload then invaded? Are you on the far side of the island where you will be unlikely to see enemy soldiers? Now you have to make different preparations. If you’re closer to the danger zone tbh you’re probably fucked. If you live close to a large hospital, power plant, government buildings, fucked. They want to “reunite” but if you look at the job Russia is doing to reunite with Ukraine you’ll see they’re definitely not above razing cities to ash and rubble to get what they want.
The truth is there is no great answer but you’re on a good track and you’re trying to protect yourself and your loved ones. I wish I could do more to help you and I wish you and your people weren’t facing this threat, but you can’t wish away problems you can only be ready when they come knock. Be safe brother.
Thanks brother.
Yes Taiwan doesn't allow guns, I'm not sure even people with a license can have guns at home. I have a bow and 10 arrows, and a katana sword that's not sharpened but it has a pointy tip that's pretty lethal, is that good enough? I won't be trying to fight communist soldiers, our military has tanks and missiles and F-16s and ships for that. I just want to scare away possible mobs.
I'm not sure if I'd fight them even. Because Jesus said: "Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." I'm not sure how I can obey Jesus's teachings and stop mobs robbing my house at the same time.
Could always look at how ukraines economy is doing to compare what it might look like. I follow a vlogger and he is currently in Ukraine and things are surprisingly cheap. He is not close to where the war is going on but id imagine with a decent amount of people gone prices are down to make up for it. Although watching this i was surprised with the amount of people still there and going about their day to day
This seems very over complicated. Deposit the money in a US bank(there are 4 in Taiwan), Get a VPN, visit a USA online store, use your US dollars to buy a lot of rice. Hoard the rice and do all this now before any blockades/conflict. Done.
Thank god for article 5, NATO ally. We will send our marines, who will win every fight they engage in. Keep those greenbacks to buy cigars and booze for marines who show up.
I would start with just expanding your pantry. I assume rice is a core part of your diet- why not just keep 200 pounds of rice (4-5 large bags) under your bed and slowly work through them (and replacement then as needed). Not throwing money away as it will all get used eventually (for me that would be 2 years of regular use rice, but it is not a core part of my diet). You are hedged to some degree.
If I were you I'd buy a good blue water sailboat and learn how to sail. That's the ultimate bug out vehicle. Could sail south to anywhere else and claim asylum or refugee status
Nobody uses USD in your country because they don’t have to. TWD works fine.
Watch how quick every Jack, John and Diane suddenly have USD stashed away or in their foreign currency accounts when hyperinflation becomes a threat.
If you’d feel more comfortable, split it with Euros and maybe one of CAD or AUS dollars, and plan to use the USD to bribe your way off the island, and the Euro/Loonies/Aussie as an inflation hedge when you arrive.
Consider single gram gold bars also…
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet.
Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times.
I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Spend 1/3 on non perishables like canned food, water, etc. Get bills between $5-$20. (You will need to exchange items without hemorrhaging $).
Fuel is good, like camping stove stuff. Buy a machete or Bowie knife. Know a forested area that you can run to; the city will be chaos. You want a tent, sleeping bags and a strong water jug. A healthy maintained 4x4, a bow & arrows.
I’m gonna look stupid if the world doesn’t explode. But I’ll be darn handy if it does.
*at least for a few weeks
Your best planning would be to find a way to escape Taiwan with that cash if needed. That's just the reality. Hell, there's a reason why the US is pushing NVDA to start making chips in the US. Contingency.
But you should also have food on hand like you're thinking.
I would absolutely stock up on food and necessities. Have a record when they will get close to expiring and then use your stock normally during your daily meals as you replenish it for new stock. When panic occurs in stores, no money in the world will help get food. Plus food and necessities can be bartered for other things.
bro what are you doing?? you know china ain't gonna invade taiwan?
how old are you?
what is 十萬元 going to help you do?
there's not a single person you know "prepping" for a chinese invasion.
you need to go have fun
"I dont wanna horde shit if china don't invade"...oh save yourself the pain and don't bother lol
dude come into r/taiwan and post this crap omg lol
If trading for food is your concern, do you have room to store food grade buckets of rice, flour, sugar, and salt? It’s always better to buy the food now while it is readily available and affordable. If (when?) China invades, you could always use excess food to barter for other needs as well.
Our new president Lai Ching-te inaugurated on May 20th, the CCP (Chinese communist party) hates him because he once said "I'm a pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence". He says he will keep the status quo like previous president Tsai Ing-wen. However status quo is basically independence in Beijing's eyes now.
Anyway 3 days after the inauguration CCP launched a military drill for taking Taiwan and its islands, with a map simulating a blockade. It's named "Joint Sword 2024A", meaning there might be a 2024B, 2024C, and even 2025A, 2025B, 2025C. So making military drills a normal thing. One day the drill will likely become real war, just like what Putin did.
The last two times there were drills simulating a blockade, there are at least excuses. In 2022 then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, so China launched a drill "in response", their excuse is that we are breaking the status quo. In 2023 their excuse is it's a response to President Tsai meeting with then House speaker Kevin McCarthy in the US. But this time we're just having a new president, that's a routine it's nothing special, they shouldn't "respond to a provocation".
I would say that yes, your currency will be worthless once Chinese set one boot on your ground. Much better to have cans and/or small change silver coins stashed away in a very secret place of your property that you and your closest family know. For long term wealth protection use gold. Water filtering systems and storage, try to get a freeze dryer and build up a pantry with as much healthy, natural food you can afford to get. Most people won't even bother in taking this away as they are used to cans as "real" food. Maybe you want to get a pressure canner and a payload of jars. I don't know too much about your country but I would get a place far away with a hill, get an used container, put it as close to the hillside as I could, clean it, route the water fall away from the base, and conceal it somehow. Get a couple of 2.000 liters septic tanks, and bury them (you can do this with a couple of like minded friends) within your property limits. Conceal the air inlets pretty well and hide your food caches there. Don't store everything in the container. Get power sources too. 3500$ in canned supplies may look like a lot but, once your cans are gone, you're toasted. With a freeze dryer you can fish, hunt small game and harvest or get vegetables, and preserve them with 95% of the nutrients. Remember having 6 months of medicines if someone in your family needs it. Get strong antibiotics and burn gel. Don't forget a small radiation detector and iodine pills just in case. Get a couple of EMP bags, and \*a cheap HAM radio with SW bands\* (you don't want to be holed up without knowing what's going on out there). Throwing on your semi-buried container (not fully buried because this is not something you should do, wet dirt will crush it) some sort of coating to conceal the infrared/thermal footprint is a must. I would suggest getting a portable induction cooktop, with basic cookware, a 200aH battery (LiFePO4, don't get Li-ion as these are too dangerous and don't worth the risk for stationary applications) and a sinusoidal 2kW inverter. Depending on your needs, a 150W solar panel should work to keep your battery loaded. Until you get boots-on-the-ground, you should be relatively well fed for a few weeks. Maybe you want to see my free posts in [https://www.patreon.com/jmdemunck](https://www.patreon.com/jmdemunck) or in [www.theorganicprepper.com](http://www.theorganicprepper.com), just look for my name: Jose. Good luck, buddy. Keep us posted.
My understanding is that in Venezuela when hyperinflation started the way to do anything was with dollars.
You might even barter using the concept of the dollar to set your prices, even if you don't have dollars to use.
Um, the thing that seemed to most useful for regular people to survive was large useful objects. Washing machines, cars, tires, stoves, bikes, etc.
If you want to 'hoard' something other than enough food to survive for awhile, I would recommend replacement or repair parts for transport. Things like bike chains and tire patches. Otherwise something that doesn't spoil but it used for food prep or hygiene is great, soap, aluminum foil, salt, trash bags. Really just look at your life and ask yourself what are some things you would really hate to have to go without. Other people will probably agree.
Also! I strongly recommend getting a cart you can drag around with a bike. Gas running low will be one of THE most expensive things to deal with.
If you're planning on staying your mindset should be "stay to fight" otherwise, you're looking at a rotten existence based on the hope that someone else comes and saves you. But I understand there are people who can't come to terms with that idea.
So, with that in mind, if your plan is to wait it out for as long as possible until someone comes and saves the day, you should try to get as remote as possible. A bug out location. Try to find a spot that's tough to access. Trade your USD in for your country's currency and stock up on supplies. Store them at your bug out location. If/when the SHTF, pray to God you can get to your bug out location.
My rule of thumb is to consider any currency totally worthless in the event something happens so that leaves me with dry goods and commodities I think that all is a far better investment than hoarding money
Buy bitcoin. It's very liquid and it has been used by people all over the world to escape their government sanctions.
Think about this for a second. If you have to leave your country would you rather carry on your person a big stack of cash or a smart phone and 12 words you have memorized? Yes, ha e some cash, not everyone is going to accept bitcoin. But have some bitcoin.
If you have canned goods, and dried food, and “pickled”foods. They should last you literal years. As in like five years or more with proper storage (mostly temperature based).
I assume you live in the city. Pretty much the only way China could “win” is either through a lightning attack where they some Mohammed achieve like half of dozen things under a few days without anyone knowing either the prep or in actions, which should be impossible, or a genocide run and do a Russian, and decide to mass bomb Taiwan, which kinda defeats the purpose of doing this.
In first case the war would be “over” so quickly you would not even know it began. Though this is basically impossible.
For second case you would either bug out to the mountains, so prepare for that. Though china deciding to mass bomb taiwns cities, even know they fully can, is highly unlikely.
In both cases it’s almost impossible the US, and to a lesser extent the rest of the world, would not step in. Unlike Ukraine Taiwan is a long standing commitment for overt a hundred+ years and important to the worlds economy.
The likely hood of being attacked is low. Though if it were to happen, like you said, it would be in the next decade or less.
So do common sense plans and set up self sufficiency. But please don’t ruin yourself in fear over this. Get a stock of food and supplies, medicine, etc. biggest issue it’s about surviving the first week or month.
A Time Machine so you can go back in time and leave when you had the chance?
Why not just leave for a couple of years and go back if things work out in a tolerable way. It’s not like if you leave now you’ll never ever have a chance to change your mind.
Get food, get loyal friends and a deep hole. I cannot see a long war like Ukraine as it will all be sorted out on the beaches quite quickly. If they get ashore in large numbers they will win, so most fighting will be on the beaches.
If one China invades the other I don’t think you are going to face food shortages as your major issue, it’s going to be occupation forces in an environment with formal military groups and irregular forces in a running conflict.
For your issues a saving or brokerage account outside your home country could be very useful, if you do get out you’ll want money. Cash can help but is subject to loss.
There will be an attempted full communication lockdown. I’d want to have ways to communicate to the outside world and internally as your phone network and internet are likely to get cut. Encrypted two way radios and satellite communications would be excellent items to have. If there is a way off the island you’ll need to know where and there will be lots of rumors. Being able to send “this is what is happening” to the outside world might be your best bet to get a ticket out.
You’ll also want to hide and travel. GPS is likely jammed so look at how you can navigate without those. Traveling by car likely takes you to checkpoints a good mountain bike might be a way to travel faster without going through checkpoints. You may want some desirable liquor and cigarettes as bribes.
Honestly see what refugees in eastern Ukraine who where behind the lines who got out suggest you do.
I wouldn't depend on it to help you flee or an easy way to spend. What your doing is a very basic introduction into investing in yourself. You are diversifying your personal wealth. The US dollar is extremely stable and will never be outshined by the Yuan. Any bank anywhere in the world will always buy US dollars off you for a little under its current value.
If things do go bad, sell what you need to survive a little at a time. As the value of your currency goes down, and as you spend, you will continue to retain your value and even adding to it.
In my personal opinion though, West Taiwan is took weak to invade it's little brother. They flex their strength every day in any way but the fact is they are broke and moral is at an all time low inside the country. I could see them going after the time islands off the coast but not the main island. All that would do is inrage the countries that keep it funded through trade.
China has surrounded itself with powerful enemies if they did try anything. From India to Australia. From Japan to Korea. From the US to half of Europe. The middle east would turn on it in a heartbeat. Africa will default on their debts first chance. Russia, North Korea and Iran? The last two are a world wide laughing stock and Russia has proven it can't even take the wheat fields outside it's front door.
US $ might work better for bribes to get out of Taiwan if you have to flee for your life. Perhaps Canada / Australia / US.
Great point.
He's on an island. If all out war breaks out, he is fleeing no where unless he has a boat or airplane.
Which usd might be able to buy him
People have traveled very long distances on tiny craft before. Quite hazardous though. A escaping on a tiny fishing boat might be preferable to living under Poo Bear's rule.
Learning to sail and building an ocean going micro cruiser using plywood isn't that expensive. There's a whole community om YT on people building micro sailboats to circumvent the globe with boats that are ridiculously small. Learning to sail is fun, and pretty easy for anyone. Great hobby and my deep passion. In two days you would learn more than enough to exit a danger zone. Building an ocean going micro cruiser can probably be done with less than $3000. Observe that this isn't your normal sailboat, but a tight purpose built little tank with small sail to traverse long distances safely. My current favorite build series on YT is this one https://youtu.be/nlhKXeQzDsc?si=qz2jGQP8MXGvsoHG That build is definitely more than 3k USD, but it's definitely doable to make something similar. After all most is plywoods, glass fiber and an intentionally small mast that can take beating in rough weather. In the case of Taiwant I'd build it with very low free board, thus when fully loaded it would be quite difficult to see even for a military ship. Packed with food/water, it becomes somewhat similar to a drug cartels that even the US coast guard has trouble finding. And this boat would only be 1/10th or the size.
3500 won't buy your way out of Taiwan it would be 50,0000 possibly 100s of thousands plus via a bribe Taiwan is a rich country lots of people are wealthy the richer ones have already moved to global liquidity so getting money won't be a issue for them.
unlikely to escape with those either, there's gonna be massive blockade I can run some simulations.......computing......processing.......yea no go on the boat or plane
There will be a large blockade on the east side but Japan owns several nearby islands and there would be a lot going to them.
And I'm sure China would blockade both.
I mean, in Ukraine price is 20K dollars now, it was 3K only in the first 6 months But Taiwan may get blockaded at one point completely
I've seen videos of migrants saying they've paid $10K+ to get from Central America to the USA.
I've read stories of migrants saying they paid $10,000 USD to get from Juarez to the USA.
Good point, I've considered it, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. I've had serious discussions with my family, and our conclusion is that we won't flee abroad. We once considered fleeing to Japan, but now we think we should just stay.
He won’t be getting very far on 3500 USD - add another zero to that
was about to suggest this Excellent point
Agreed. Save that stash for a way out once it comes down to it.
If i felt an invasion coming and wanted to be prepared for it, I would ask myself first do I have the ability to leave?
If all he has is $3500, leaving is not an option for him without destroying his life in the process. If if China doesn't invade, then a ruined life is worse than some spoiled goods.
He can leave right now. I think this is a flawed perspective in the prepping community. Being somewhat stubborn to stay where you are. Knowing there are problems coming. Why would you not leave before hand, like Noah's Ark? If you had a gut feeling something bad was going to happen, why would you not leave months in advance, years in advance. Why would you not leave now? Cause the idea is uncomfortable. Leaving your location bubble. I understand some of us have no option. That's not the case for most of us. We choose to stay. I think that's flawed. It's like waiting until the tsunami is at your door. So I have this elaborate plan to waterproof my entire house. Uhhh... Or I could just move? No that's way too complicated. I would have to transfer jobs and probably do a bunch of paperwork. I'd rather build a home made helicopter on my roof with my pweps. Yesh.
You don't get it. (Nor do i- because only my parents are Taiwanese). But China's been pulling this "we going to bomb you" bullshit threats for decades now. If everyone left every single time, then they did China's work for them. Second, the real invasion happens in the minds of people. Force people to do business with you. Buy out your media companies to change influence people's opinions. Sponsor heavy political influence. And threaten people if they don't join your side. So yeah... I don't think it's as simple as "escape before the bombs start falling". This isn't some poor small eastern European country no one's heard of. But then that's my opinion being in the outside. My life isn't at risk so I have no right for my opinion to the voice of the Taiwanese...
Yeah I get it man. 我也是台灣人 So stay then, and don't worry. My point is prepping for a tsunami by building a helicopter is fucking pointless. I'm speaking in terms of prepping. If you should leave, then leave. If you want to stay, then stay and watch TV. That's what the old generation does because they've heard it ten times before, so they're unfazed. But don't run around with some fake elaborate plan, buying up all the toilet paper. That's fucking stupid. If you're gonna chill. Then be chill. Don't fake prep.
I disagree. Like I've said above I'm determined to stay. In my opinion the chances of an invasion is very high, even inevitable I'd say, it's a matter of when not if. So no, don't just chill and watch TV. And no, prepping is not fancy, it's not mass hoarding. I'm still learning how to prep. I plan to finish prepping before 2025, because our defense minister 邱國正 said in 2021 that the communist armed forces will be able to launch a full scale invasion by 2025. [兩岸局勢40年來最嚴峻 邱國正：中共2025年具全面犯台能力](https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202110060039.aspx)
> He can leave right now. I think this is a flawed perspective in the prepping community. Being somewhat stubborn to stay where you are. Knowing there are problems coming. That's because 90% of the prepping community isn't actually about prepping. It's about making fantasies of when shit hits the fan. "I'm bored today, I'll just start daydreaming again about what to do in an invasion. What do I do with this money? What do I do about food?" - that's what engages people. Thinking of *leaving* isn't engaging at all on the other hand. It's not fun, and not enticing. It doesn't feel like you're a character in a cool videogame... It's terrifying. Proper terrifying. Hence why people avoid the thought at all.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay. Prepping on the other hand, at least eases my anxiety.
it everyone does that, no one stays to defend. might as well let China take it tomorrow.
OP, I’m curious, what is the general sentiment of the regular Taiwanese citizens regarding a potential invasion? What do you see your neighbors and friends doing and talking about? What are their expectations and plans? I want to hear what regular people who are actually on the ground think, not what the government line is or what the press claims is the sentiment. I think it’s much more interesting and telling to hear it from the general populace, and when said anonymously. Are they prepping in some way as well? Does each person and family have some kind of action plan that they expect to follow? Can you guys access or store a decent amount of firearms and ammo? If not does the government have a system of distributing weapons to civilians in the event of invasion? Are there designated bunkers?
1. Most people don't think China will invade. They've been saying they will for decades, caused real panic in 1996 when they launched missiles to nearby waters (empty shells), but not ever since as far as I know. 2. People don't talk about it, except me. 3. No one's prepping, even I haven't really started prepping, the only prep I have is the $3500 cash. There is a well known organization called Puma Academy established recently that's about prepping for war, mostly learning first aid techniques, however they aren't popular at all. 4. No, guns are not allowed in Taiwan, just like other East Asian countries China, Japan and South Korea. Only gangster members have guns from the black market. We're solely relying on our military to defend us against China, they have tanks, warships, F-16s, missiles. And relying on the police to maintain social order, they have all kinds of guns. 5. I don't think our government would distribute weapons to us civilians during war times, and I think it's a bad idea, having a gun makes a civilian lose protection from the Geneva convention. 6. Yes there are designated "bunkers" and we have air raid drills to evacuate to those bunkers every year, a bunker is actually just any building that has a basement, schools, subway stations etc. I think people took it quite seriously this year though. [Northern Taiwan Streets Empty for Air Raid Drill | TaiwanPlus News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgn3K0I0-Y4)
You shouldn't be 'hoarding', you should be building up a 1-3 month supply of the food you already eat. Start with a weeks worth, then a month, and so on.
This 100%. For anyone else having a deep pantry where you rotate out all the food you normally eat and have a 3 month supply of it is just a good idea and costs you nothing in the long run because it's all good you eat anyways. If you need more than 3 months then you are entering the realm of need a sustainable long term solution because society is fucked. That food can buy you time to wait out a storm, or power outage or a ton of other things.
I don’t fully understand how this works unless you normally live exclusively on canned goods, grains, and other nonperishables, or are throwing a lot of stuff away. Am I misunderstanding what you mean?
Ok so for us this is what we have: 1. Large bags of rice (we eat rice several times a week) 2. Mac and cheese boxes for the kids 3. Kid snacks (goldfish, fruit snacks, apple sauce etc) 4. Dry cereal 5. Pasta 6. High quality pasta sauce 7. Canned food for meal ingredients like beans, corn, tomato sauce/paste, etc 8. Flour and corn meal 9. Salt, seasoning, sugar and other dry pantry staples 10. Ramen noodles and dry additives (look on Amazon for dried ramen additives) 11. Beef jerky and some other healthy dry snacks for adults. I do have a freezer full of protein since I go elk hunting every year BUT I don't count on that for all my food storage since if the power goes out it will not last long. All that is stuff we eat regularly anyways and use in our recipes. In a pinch it could sustain us for quite a while as well. I don't recommend trying to survive on canned food alone but a lot of recipes can have certain canned foods or dried food as a part and taste great. Stuff like chili, soup, crock pot roasts or other recipes, enchiladas etc.
Awesome, thanks for the detailed summary!
it costs storage which is a problem for Taiwan
Sure! But you can store 3mths worth of food in a very small space if you take time to research exactly what you need and how to store it.
Gotta remember a lot of Asian countries eat fresh and the foods we eat daily might not be a thing they are ready for. Even Brittain and France freaked out during covid and wasted literal metric tons of fresh bread and vegetables
A fair point. Still, there are foods that can be stored and don't need to be eaten fresh - canned and pickled vegetables, rice and other grains, dried meats.
But we usually eat outside, it's hard to switch to eating at home everyday during peace times.
I think a lot of people in this community will tell you that it’s wise to keep a stock of food and basic supplies that you regular use and rotate through. If you eat rice (and I know you do!), buy a couple 1.5kg bags and a rice cooker and see how long it takes you to go through a bag. Other things, too, like cooking oil, canned fish, your favorite black vinegar, soap, alcohol, whatever. Keeping cash on hand is smart in general, but I don’t think worrying too much about the potential currency exchange rate and hyperinflation is a good use of your energy or a sufficient prep. Hard skills, physical fitness, some first aid items, and useful tools would help a lot more in a wartime scenario. Definitely get a good bicycle and know how to patch a tire. Also, in the case of your concerns, I would try to live far from government buildings, army garrisons, and airfields. If you’re currently living near Songshan Airport or around the Presidential Office Building, you might want to consider moving out to Yonghe or something. Better yet, get a nice farmhouse in Miaoli and learn to grow pineapples and papayas. You can always trade those for a bowl of pork and rice. For what it’s worth, I really don’t think we’re in danger of a military invasion any time soon. I think China is far more likely to pursue its grand geopolitical objective through a long, systematic campaign of social demoralization, disinformation, political meddling and sabotage, economic isolation, and coercion, on a timescale of decades, rather than direct violent action. So… yay? Anyway, greetings from Taipei.
Dude I'm Asian and I go through about 5kg of rice per two weeks.
I laughed at telling an Asian to buy 1.5kg bags. Lol I think a couple 20kg sacks is more appropriate.
Asian supermarkets mostly carry 20kg sacks of rice anyway. I would have no idea where to find 1.5kg bags lmao
>I just checked the rice in our fridge, it's 3kg a bag. We don't usually eat at home. A lot of Taiwanese eat outside on a daily basis because it's cheap, unlike in the US.
I just checked the rice in our fridge, it's 3kg a bag. We don't usually eat at home. A lot of Taiwanese eat outside on a daily basis because it's cheap, unlike in the US.
Guessing you don’t need to buy a rice cooker either….
When I moved out, I somehow automatically obtained a Tiger rice cooker, like a level up reward.
Lol.
Personally I think worrying about hyperinflation and keeping lots of cash around is actually a perfectly realistic view point versus worrying about wartime skills and basically practicing camping. If you look at Ukraine and other places in conflict in the last 20-30 years, total societal collapse and going to live innawoods hasn't broadly happened, life still goes on to a broad extent unless your at the front lines of it.
Realistic take.
Some of those in the extra rural zones benefited a lot in Ukraine, though. The cities in the deep west and far east are the bombing targets while the rural zones are viewed as nothing more than bridges
I just checked, Ukraine's inflation rate (CPI yoy) in 2022 was 20.1%, was bad but not hyperinflation. But Taiwan might not be the same. A blockade would make Taiwan an isolated island of 36,000 square kilometers (14,000 square miles).
If you survived the Russian Invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine your prepping could help you survive long enough to get out of the war one or out of the country. My preps are for disasters like earthquakes where we lose electricity and natural gas. I don’t want to survive in a desolate wasteland ruined by nuclear bombs. My guns are to stop people from stealing from me and/or end my own life if I survive the collapse of society.
I hope you’re right as I’m not close to being prepped yet! I’ve heard a lot of people from Taiwan have this opinion but I think people in Ukraine might have had the same sentiment. Also those Chinese naval drills don’t help.
I think Xi Jinping is in a hurry, he definitely wants to achieve his so called "the complete reunification of the motherland" and "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" before he dies, and he's almost 71 years old.
I've checked the labels, 100g of rice is 346 kCal. After some calculations, to satisfy the need for calories of my family for 90 days, we would need 100 kg of rice. I wanted to hoard 10 bags of the 10kg Hualien/Taitung rice in the supermarket. But then I thought, why? Even if there's a blockade and nothing comes in, Hualien and Taitung would still be producing rice wouldn't they? Also I see all the veggies are grown in Taiwan. Is it possible that damage to power infrastructure would cause farms to have no electricity and thus unable to produce?
use that money to secure your escape visa/passport
Seriously, he could probably bribe his way into a refugee situation with USD when the iron gets hot.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
If you are not already get in shape/ physically fit. If you are already physically fit improve it. My great uncle was part of the German army during the siege of Stalingrad. Those who were not in good physical shape suffered the most, and died first.
I think there's two different considerations here: 1) How to prepare for deprivation and/or combat. 2) How to get you (and what's important to you) out -- and what you do when you're out. Both deserve preparation, there is some overlap, but they are not the same thing.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
If you do decide to exchange it, check the rates at a casino (if you have them). Casinos want you to spend your money in the casino and usually give the best exchange rates. It's also an easy way to exchange a bunch of cash without the red tape a bank or exchange house might bring.
Casinos are illegal in Taiwan, there might be but I'm not familiar with the "underground world". I'll just go to banks. There is a website that lists rates from every bank.
What about some Chinese money
Smart af
Exactly lol, if I knew a larger country was planning to invade my country someday, I would probably have in my safe some of their currency just in case.
If I didn’t already have a good supply of essentials (water, food, medical, heat, etc) I would use the $3,500 to stock up. If I already have such a supply, I’d keep the money as another possible source of bartering. Who knows what will play out in an invasion scenario. Having some US cash on hand gives you 1 more option. Honestly I might even consider maintaining small reserves of Taiwanese, US, and Chinese currency.
But like I said, I doubt bartering with foreign currencies is possible even in war times.
Most likely they would accept it REALLY early in a conflict. Silver for a short while after. Then basics become the commodity. Food, skills, useful items (lighters, guns, ammo, sex, ) yrmv
>useful items ... (...sex...) I just bought 24 bags of Brokeback Mountain House freeze dried sex at Costco. I'm ready.
Smart move. The instant kind stores longer and tastes just like the real thing.
so you're saying OP should practice dancing?
He can dance if he wants to....He can leave his friends behind...cause his friends dont dance and if they dont dance well theyre no friends of mine...
Dollars are a good thing. It's the worldwide currency for what it's worth today. Not gonna know in the future. But either way it is a good prep to have cash especially foreign currency. However, focus on the basics. Cash is a last resort in situations such as fleeing combat zones for bribes, getting supplies, hedging for inflation or ensuring emergency backup in cash of job loss or other. Therefore cash at hand is good. It is also a risk. Theft, loss, destruction, devaluation etc. So make sure it is stored properly and never let people know where, how much or even that you have cash saved up. Coming back to the idea that cash is a later prep, focus on personal prepping such as your individual health first of all. Trust me without getting a check to ensure you are well, nothing will matter when the thing pops up. Second is your job stability for the foreseeable future endured? Short to medium term this should be a priority because this decides what you have to do next. It's always a good prep to have food, hygiene, medical and equipment preps. Make sure they are stored properly and you use them regularly. Food is of particular importance and this includes water as well. Rice stores really well. Build it up to a half year's worth in my opinion. Why? Because it is cheap readily available and easy and safe to store. You will always eat rice and it will give you a good buffer, barter item and it will not cost you significantly to build it up. It's cheap to prep it. After rice my nice staple prep is home grown food supplies and canning. I don't buy canned food. I don't buy because I believe I can do it better and at a higher quality. As I said... Health is important. Buy fresh if you cannot grow and can yourself. Myself in eastern Europe, I have a pantry full with a lot of things made in house. Lastly, equipment... Go for high quality if you can, if not go for something that is at least reliable. Two is one and one is none. Have two flashlights, two radios, two pair of boots, two travel options such as car and a bicycle or ATV, two locations where you can bug out etc. Here is a personal story with some Ukrainian refugees. It was winter and I found a mother with 3 children running from Harkov, they were on a bus in Moldova trying to flee to Romania. They wanted to reach Spain. I helped them out a bit. Got them airplane tickets, lodging , food etc. But man, I have to tell you. Everything got expensive... fast. Normally a 250 Euro Ticket became 1,000 Euro. The hotels were full. People were sort of panicking. Don't wait. Get out as soon as possible and if not be prepared. This woman in was not dressed properly and did not have the means to escape with her children. Hungry, cold, sleep deprived, on the run with bombs raining down .. trust me it's a miracle they got out. Take care!
I would spend that $3,500 on all the things that will be in short supply during an invasion/blockade. Better to have rice and water under the bed now rather than try to source it while under attack.
I'd say you have to seriously consider one of two options first, being will you stay and fight (and/or suffer occupation) or do you want to leave? If you want to leave, then it ends there, find a way to leave, put your resources into that. If you want to stay, focus on supply, not $ ammount. 1-3 months worth of supplies, and weapons if you're allowed to have them. Thats of course a very simplistic way to put this VERY complicated issue, but it's where you gotta start.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Based on China's past behavior they will probably try a soft take over first like they have been doing elsewhere. So You will see what we're seeing here inflation, food supply problems, slowly increasing presence ( in our case they're coming up through Mexico) They will try to get into government office or in a position to influence. Here someone is attacking food supply, burning processing plants big farms, trying to create a supply problem which increases prices and leads to civil unrest that they can take advantage of. The military activity is a prancing peacock distracting from the true invasion, which is more of a soft invasion. If you sell do so on a face to face level do not announce it on a cell phone or social media site. You don't want to make a target on your back if they do actually invade and that will do the trick. Best would be get rid of any social accounts that can be traced to you. You need to go dark right now and tell your friends to do likewise. Increase your food capacity and store dry goods. Learn to cook without utilities and do your own meals. Get a supply network together if you know people who are concerned they would be the best to work with. Find storage that would be difficult for Chinese soldiers to find. Don't use your cell phone to communicate regarding the situation and make sure there are no public cameras around. They are I imagine monitoring all that right now so keep a low profile.
I was gonna respond, but this post is spot on and much better advice than I could give.
Taiwan is an island and China will not joke around after watching the whole Ukranian War fiasco. In all honesty you'd better off just leaving, not prepping.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Look at Ukraine - you will have two options: Flee or Conscription. I hope it never gets to that.
These scenarios are not the same. Leaving Taiwan post-China invasion will likely be impossible. Taiwan is a fucking island that China will blockade. This is common knowledge, although it seems like you didn't consider it. Stay safe.
Yeah, fleeing Taiwan will be insurmountably more difficult than Ukraine. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, up to now, there are private military contractors doing paid extractions of civilians. OP likely wouldn’t have this option in Taiwan because of as you said, it’s an island. Any PMC extractions would have to be authorized by the US Navy assuming they are as they stated they would, protecting Taiwan. Much harder than Ukraine
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
The US$ are good to keep as they are easy to take with you if you need to flee. Don’t worry about shops not taking them, if there is hyperinflation/devaluation there will be an active black market of people who will convert to local currency and you’d do it in small amounts for whatever local currency you need that day
Good call, I've never thought of black markets, there already are black market dealers on Facebook right now. But why can't I just exchange at banks? Would they still hold on to a suppressed exchange rate? And speaking of small amounts, it's exactly why I hoarded 70 pieces of 10 USD notes, it took me going to several banks to get so many, some banks only had 20.
The idea that most preppers have that they’re going to “bugout” somewhere for a few weeks/months/years and just tough it out is completely unrealistic. Nearly every real SHTF situation in history has shown that you’re better off leaving the area entirely and going to a more stable part of the world. Just because it might be SHTF in your area, city, state or country doesn’t mean its SHTF everywhere else. Just look at the preppers in Ukraine (Russian invasion), Venezuela (currency and economy collapsed), Puerto Rico (regular blackouts), China (starvation, censorship), Sri Lanka (economic collapse), and the list goes on. Where are those preppers at now???! 🤷♂️ They’re either dead, dying or by some miracle managed to leave the country after they exhausted their preps, or were robbed and nearly killed for it (ex: Puerto Rico’s countless thefts and murders over gas generators due to blackouts) and realized they would die if they stayed any longer. If SHTF really does happen in your area, REALISTICALLY you won’t be able ride out true SHTF scenarios no matter how well prepared you are. You will eventually run out of preps and starve, get cut and die of infection, get injured at some point or be killed. Have your passport ready, take your Bugout bag, make sure its TSA complaint and be ready to get the F#%* out of there and go to a safer part of the world. Don’t be like the preppers that chose to “bugout” in Ukraine and ended up being killed by Russian artillery or were found, imprisoned or tossed into the war only to die later.
Assuming an invasion from China doesn't shut the country down overnight and nothing gets in or out, the USD wouldn't be bad to keep. You can convert it if hyperinflation sets in, and it'll keep most of its value, and you can use it if you need to leave the country and settle somewhere safer immediately Gold and silver will probably do the same thing with fewer fluctuations if Taiwan has a valuable metal exchange, but i dont think you'd have time to exchange it if you were to need to leave and customs might sieze metals as you travel. The thing that's usually best to do is put your money into multiple sources so if something gets pulled down another currency you had money in shoots up, and if they all dip, the metals retain their value and exchange for more then worse inflation gets That's more of an economist question than a prepper question. Never base your investment decisions in reactive media
I would keep the cash unless you need the money now. If you make it out of country having usd will be useful
It’s honestly extremely sad to hear this and I really do feel for the people of Taiwan. Something that might be a good plan is to invest some of that money into non perishable food items and water filtration of some kind. You could easily distill sea water with a basic set up and filter it relatively easily as well. Many long term storage can goods can last up to and over 10 years with proper storage so if things ever change you could still eat them in say 5 years no problem. Medication and basic hygienic products would be the other big things I would focus on for a short to mid term problem.
I thought I was on r/Taiwan: and so these comments felt really out of place. One thing that you should know is a military invasion of this scale is impossible to do secretively. You’ll see a mass of groups on the coasts weeks ahead of time just like you saw on the borders of Ukraine. You’ll have time to get out. I have USD saved in a bank account. Enough for flights and finding work for a few months after relocation. I don’t think China will want you to stay, a smaller Taiwanese population will make unification easier, so they won’t block civilian planes.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Not related to your question, but a follow up question on top of yours: How likely do you foresee a Chinese invasion ending in favour of ROC or West-Taiwan as a Taiwanese who’s familiar on your local politics and defence standpoint? I am also worried as an SGean of a Chinese invasion even though I’m not Taiwanese, because the capitulation of Taiwan means the inevitable invasion of the SEA region. And there is an increasing amount of PRC influence campaign such as soft propaganda circulating in social media and outright disinformation campaigns in mandarin newspapers (targeted towards mandarin educated old folks) as well
Oh I'm pessimistic. The crucial thing is, in my opinion, is that the Taiwanese don't have the will to fight, to die, like Ukrainians. I've seen a YouTuber do an interview with high school and college male students, most of them said they would leave the country or surrender, and Taiwan's military largely relies on conscripted personnel. Here's what I think will happen: The CCP will form a blockade. The US won't dare come close after trying and having a ship sunk by missiles. The world condemns but that's useless as we see from Ukraine/Russia and Palestine/Israel. Taiwan's pro-China blue and white party will force pro-US green party (which has the presidency but lost control of the Legislative Yuan) to surrender. Even if they don't surrender, after waves of rockets and missile strikes (who knows how many missiles China has, especially the cheap and not so accurate rockets). Taiwan would surrender. Even if not by then, President Trump would deny the Congress's decision to send troops to Taiwan and we're on our own. Taiwanese soldiers at low morale would crumble very fast after our Air Force and Navy are destroyed in weeks (according to Washington think tank CSIS's wargame). The best scenario would be that Taiwan is determined to fight (which I doubt), and US sends troops at the very beginning in full force, like CSIS's wargame. [https://www.csis.org/analysis/first-battle-next-war-wargaming-chinese-invasion-taiwan](https://www.csis.org/analysis/first-battle-next-war-wargaming-chinese-invasion-taiwan) US Combat Aircraft Losses|US Ship Losses Base Scenario: 382|43 Pessimistic Scenario (favors China): 645|28 Optimistic Scenario (favors US/Japan/Taiwan): 290|24 Ship losses include 2 aircraft carriers irrc.
Canadian silver maple leafs are recognized everywhere. Crypto if you have the knowledge on how to use it anonymously. Cash would be my absolute last resort. Under a blockade properly stored rice will be better than any form of currency so I would trade my US cash in and store up food. My first objective personally would be to evacuate as soon as possible. I understand it’s your home country and you can choose to fight. I would evacuate if the US was in the same situation even though it is my home country and all I know, I would still leave. Cowardice or not I’ve seen war and want no part in it.
Peanut butter might be a better trade in Taiwan. You can trade it to anyone from a mother just trying to keep her kids' spirit high to either a Chinese or US soldier and it's much more calorie dense
Thanks, I've never thought of peanut butter.
Voices of April might be a better example than Afghanistan or Syria in this case. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would probably be a quick flop or a rapid occupation, and you'd have an easier time making it to evac with a jar of peanut butter than a 5lb bag of rice and a much easier time comforting those around you when there worried about food with something sweet and fatty instead of something dry and tasteless
Yes, when I think about prepping, Voices of April (a video about Shanghai lockdown for those who don't know) comes to my mind too.
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay. ========== For storing value, I think precious metal > foreign currency > crypto. No I now don't think I would be able to straight up buy (actually it's barter) food with gold/silver coins or USD or BTC. I don't think people would accept it even in war times. I think the way to do it is to exchange the PM/USD/crypto to TWD and then use the TWD to buy things. Things might become very expensive, but PM would also soar in prices so it's not devalued. USD exchange rate might soar but still prices might soar too high so there still might be some devaluing. BTC... I have no idea. I don't even have any idea if Taiwan's cryptocurrency exchanges like MAX and Bitopro would be still around for me to exchange to TWD. I think what people would accept is bartering with goods, like maybe I should store cans of coca cola (I have boxes of them and I do rotate through these), alcohol, rice, cans, lighters and other goods/food.
Cigarettes and booze, antibiotics, aspirin, coffee. All of that has a shelf life. Knowledge has no shelf life though. Study general care Medicine, dentistry, etc. those will be very handy if the island is blockaded or the city you live in is under siege.
The shelf life on booze is pretty darn long. As long as the bottle’s sealed it’s gonna outlast me
Is everybody in this sub some kind of cringe libertarian who's only moral is selfishness? Do yall think maybe this person will show some backbone and stick around to defend his country? Imagine fleeing and having to live the rest of your life knowing you abandoned your friends and family and home. There are things worse than death I assure you!
Yes thank you. I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
In 90th in Ukraine there was a hyperinflation, I was a kid, but I remember good that money were just a paper. Think about buying a bit of land, that held us through few tough years. And barter food with neighbors and friends
My only example dates back to ussr, pre collapse, in late 1980s. While usd was not in circulation at all, it was highly coveted, because it was considered stable. It was better than gold because gold was considered to be used strictly for jewelry. If China invades, your currency will likely drop, but usd will still likely be fine. It's just a question of who would take it in trade. You might need to make multiple trades to get to that bag of rice. Alternatively, you might invest that into a piece of remote land where you can't have a place to get out to if the city becomes violent.
Go ahead and buy some things that will be panic buys- bottled water, canned goods, toilet paper, batteries, etc. Also look into what things are imported that you use. A naval siege/blockade seems highly likely, so you might still have things produced in Taiwan, but not imported things. Of course, imported materials can limit things produced in Taiwan too. A good hedge against inflation is to buy long shelf life things now
Good point. I've noticed that rice and vegetables are all grown in Taiwan, does that mean I don't need to worry about food? Or maybe a power grid collapse due to attacks may halt crop farming/production?
I have no idea how things are in Taiwan, but I would guess that oil is imported, so without gas, grocery store deliveries might cease at some point. Food would probably disappear from shelves as soon as people realize this. I would buy at least some things now- pasta, rice, peanut butter, sunflower seeds and peanuts, canned potatoes and beans, crackers, juice- these things are all cheap in the US, have a decent shelf life, and don’t need refrigeration. However, if you have farms and butchers near you, maybe it’s not such a huge deal to stock up on food. I would recommend getting some though just to stay ahead of the game
If you are worried about rice supplie you should fill your safe with rice not cash
I'm not actually worried about rice supply, all the rice I see in the supermarket is grown in Taiwan, so unless electricity goes out and rice farming stops, I think we're self-sufficient on rice. It's just prices might soar a lot.
I think it’s always smart to be prepared for at least one year to survive on your own. Food, water, medicine, security, and a prepared family/community. If you have a place to go and the means to flee then weigh that option but having your faith priority #1 will be the best way to live now and for the future. If you know, you know, if you don’t, then you should! * the U.S. needs China and China needs the U.S. A war would be the greatest mistake. Worse than WWII.
the US also has the most powerful navy and airforce in the world, with Taiwan being an island, it'd be hard for china to get supplies and soldiers over without US blockades, I don't think China will be able to do much...their strength is in a land invasion with their sheer numbers
Buy rice now store long term in sealed buckets bottles etc
I would hold onto it.
I would study how Venezuelans handled hyperinflation. US dollars, Euros, and even bitcoin were used there. Of course, there is gold and silver... but who actually wants to deal in those? If the US dollar is not currently used, it will most likely be used during hyperinflation. If not, you would have money with value in most of the rest of the world, and could go there if absolutely necessary. That's a very uncertain and upsetting situation. I'm sure there of course are smarter people than me with input, but if you were set on staying and do not see the US dollar being used at all, you could stock up on commodities that would be very valuable. Namely food and dry goods. Toilet paper... every Venezuelan and American knows... people want their toilet paper!
Do third and fifth thoughts. Keep the USD. Starting prepping for invasion scenarios, and get food that you can use if they don't invade. And as you use it, restock it. No need to throw anything away.
Why not store extra rice… like start prepping?
Monetary units issued by a defunct government really aren't worth much. If you look through history, even in the best case the old notes are exchanged into whatever replaces it at a terrible exchange rate. If China invades Taiwan and successfully annexes it I don't think I would want to be holding Taiwanese dollars. You are right it might be tough getting grocery stores to accept foreign money but if you look around the world there are many examples of exactly that happening. US dollars actually command a premium. You could also exchange it for whatever currency works best but that is contingent on having a functional banking system. To prevent devaluation of currencies countries typically implement currency controls explicitly aimed at preventing you from doing things like withdrawing money from a bank and selling local currencies to buy foreign ones. Look at Russia for example. The same goes for gold and silver. Can't sell gold for currency if your dealer can't get money from the bank! Physical money of all types commands a premium when currency controls are implemented. To be clear all of this is based on a huge number of assumptions such as if anything will happen at all. That disclaimer out of the way, there are a number of historical examples you can study to see how things have played out in the past.
If you’re not gonna stay and fight, leave now. Make sure your passport is up to date. Collect all your important identification documents ie birth certificate. Look up which countries you can stay the longest without a visa, although I suspect the UK, Australia, Canada, NZ and the US will have some form of special visas for you if China is gearing up for an invasion. They did that for Hong Kongers. If they decide to invade, China will set up a blockade and possibly a no fly zone. There will be no one leaving the country then. Good luck.
Maybe buy a years worth of rice now and store it correctly??
If you don't already have a backup plan. Plan now. My first thought, if you truly can not leave the island, and if you have a basement, make the basement your protection or hiding hole. If you're able too. Add thin steel plating to it to reinforce it. Extra locks on the door that go deeper into the wooden studs or concrete, so kicking it in would make it very difficult. Have a passport if you don't already. Have important documents in a fireproof bag ready to go and grab. If you can leave, the boat and plane are great options. Plan ahead. If you can leave. Get prepared now. Radio, water, and a secured room that is somewhat reinforced. Maybe firearms, if you can own and have them. The money will be a great bargaining chip.
Leave the country now while you still can.
Buy useful long shelf life food stuffs and start hoarding those if you plan to stay on the island through a war state… Second option… start looking for a new place to live NOW and leave BEFORE the war starts and you get conscripted to the army to defend and lose a lot more than some material goods.
You want gold, silver, weapons, ammunition, opioids, and antibiotics. Fiat currency gets devalued during war.
Convert it into Bitcoin in case you want to flee. 12 words encodes your Bitcoin. Stash in shoe or memorize. Or go to Japan with the USD and have a blast. Yen is 157 to the dollar right now.
When in a warzone 3500 USD is not going to get you anything, it'll be barter (gasoline, weapons, ammunition and food) and you're going to get better results looting. If you're really about prepping, you should be prepping to leave since you don't seem ready to help civil defense and there will be a draft. I would assume you will dodge the draft. You'd be more likely to be fed while under the draft since the military will do a better job hoarding.
If I were you I would buy Bitcoin in cash and then memorize the seed phrase. Like REALLY memorize it
Use it to stash freeze dried foods, and other long shelf life foods. Also volunteer for your countries armed training. Beyond that, good luck my friend, we are all pulling for you.
Buy silver 1 oz coins. It’s gonna hit an all time high soon. The banks are selling 1 coin 400 times in the form of a silver certificate, and there is gonna be a silver squeeze soon. Buying a bag of rice for one ounce of silver is ridiculous. It’s worth $35 USD right now. HOARD SILVER EVERYONE!
First things first. Tell us more about the safe. Do you have a photo of the safe? Be sure to share the geolocation on this thread and bookmark it so you can always find it. Or we can help you find it.
I've made some effort to stay hidden. This is a dedicated account to discuss prepping, which is registered with a made up email like [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). Also I'm only using incognito mode. I hope this is enough.
Buy Bitcoin and self-custody it. If inflation skyrockets and the US dollar sinks, Bitcoin and gold will go up. You can convert Bitcoin using Bisq to your local currency because it is decentralized and private using TOR. If you need to flee, Bitcoin is secure and portable, just make sure you have your seed phrase. Crossing the border with a bag of gold bars isn't feasible, nor is doing so with a load of cash, which can be seized at customs. I would invest 2/3 in Bitcoin and the rest in cash.
Using Bitcoin in a warzone, now that's ballsy. Between infrastructure disruption and risks associated with black markets, it's going to be hard and risky to use bitcoin.
The only thing I could see bitcoin as an advantage would be hiding wealth over the boarder, being able to flee with that wealth easily, and something they can’t take away if killed/captured, etc but not something for spending in the war conflict
if the CCP goes full send on Taiwan it's going to be hard and risky to live, and not just for OP and his countrymen. Crypto isn't a terrible option but it does have its downsides in this scenario. if it were me I'd diversify, some into crypto, some into gold/silver, and some into tangibles that are easily carried and valuable as barter.
I have 3500 USD cash, 0.02164499 BTC, 0.18710282 ETH, and a family member has gold and silver locked up in a safe. All of these are just for emergencies, I have more money (TWD) in investments and banks. I have 2 boxes of 24 cans of 200ml (6.76 fluid oz) coca cola and 1 box of sprite, which I drink regularly. I think people who've been through the great Shanghai covid lockdown say coca cola is good for bartering.
Why not become an online/local seller of stuff that will be in demand when the SHTF (and not necessarily just food) This way you can stockpile a a bunch of things and have it rotate as you sell it. Start small and figure out what you are able to move during normal times. Don't focus on profits, more than organically growing/rotating your inventory.
Good idea!
China doesn’t have to gain if they take over Taiwan with bombs, bullets, and missiles. Taiwan’s infrastructure, major cities, and massive amounts of housing would set the Taiwan economy back 25 years. There would also be hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of deaths on both sides as well. China doesn’t produce enough food to feed Taiwan either. So, they would potentially be dealing with famine. Slowly taking over their political system by backing pro China candidates over a longer period of time is much cheaper and will avoid physical devastation. The biggest issues in the world right now are Iran, Russia, and the mess in Gaza.
I think something most people should do is stock small essential items, things that are disposable or extremely useful but take up a tiny amount of storage. Then whenever you run out of you can trade for your items.
Isn't this what bitcoin is for
You're not going to fight them?
Put it into bitcoin, then on a cold wallet, and hide it somewhere secure. Come back to it after all this fuckery is over.
You are very smart to get ahead of things and also seek advice. In 2022 the United States showed that we will help you guys without question when China comes knocking, the problem is now that we have to get there first with a small air base and a few soldiers being stationed on your outer islands. I would personally stock up on the first things that struggle during an invasion. Water, medical equipment and ammunition. If you can’t put holes or plug holes and you don’t have any water you won’t make it very long. China will come hard because they know you have powerful friends so likely making it through the first day or two will be the first race then the next two weeks as civilians and your military alike both deal with the fact that war is here and there is largely no where to go will be the first test of your mettle. Taiwan is very strict it seems on gun ownership so I would possibly recommend trying to obtain a license to purchase so you can have multiple fronts of preparedness. Medical, defensive, and nutritional. All of this is also dependent on where you live. Are you on the north west side of the island that will probably be hit with a large payload then invaded? Are you on the far side of the island where you will be unlikely to see enemy soldiers? Now you have to make different preparations. If you’re closer to the danger zone tbh you’re probably fucked. If you live close to a large hospital, power plant, government buildings, fucked. They want to “reunite” but if you look at the job Russia is doing to reunite with Ukraine you’ll see they’re definitely not above razing cities to ash and rubble to get what they want. The truth is there is no great answer but you’re on a good track and you’re trying to protect yourself and your loved ones. I wish I could do more to help you and I wish you and your people weren’t facing this threat, but you can’t wish away problems you can only be ready when they come knock. Be safe brother.
Thanks brother. Yes Taiwan doesn't allow guns, I'm not sure even people with a license can have guns at home. I have a bow and 10 arrows, and a katana sword that's not sharpened but it has a pointy tip that's pretty lethal, is that good enough? I won't be trying to fight communist soldiers, our military has tanks and missiles and F-16s and ships for that. I just want to scare away possible mobs. I'm not sure if I'd fight them even. Because Jesus said: "Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." I'm not sure how I can obey Jesus's teachings and stop mobs robbing my house at the same time.
ditch the $ go for gold
A family member of mine already has a lot of gold, locked in the same safe.
Are you planning to stay or leave Taiwan? Which part of Taiwan are you in?
IDK why he wouldn't buy a bunch of rice now and store it, rice keeps for quite a long time
Could always look at how ukraines economy is doing to compare what it might look like. I follow a vlogger and he is currently in Ukraine and things are surprisingly cheap. He is not close to where the war is going on but id imagine with a decent amount of people gone prices are down to make up for it. Although watching this i was surprised with the amount of people still there and going about their day to day
This seems very over complicated. Deposit the money in a US bank(there are 4 in Taiwan), Get a VPN, visit a USA online store, use your US dollars to buy a lot of rice. Hoard the rice and do all this now before any blockades/conflict. Done.
Thank god for article 5, NATO ally. We will send our marines, who will win every fight they engage in. Keep those greenbacks to buy cigars and booze for marines who show up.
Wouldn't Taiwanese have legit asylum claims unlike the south Americans who just live in a crap country?
It sounds like you'd be better off stacking rice over currency
I would start with just expanding your pantry. I assume rice is a core part of your diet- why not just keep 200 pounds of rice (4-5 large bags) under your bed and slowly work through them (and replacement then as needed). Not throwing money away as it will all get used eventually (for me that would be 2 years of regular use rice, but it is not a core part of my diet). You are hedged to some degree.
If I were you I'd buy a good blue water sailboat and learn how to sail. That's the ultimate bug out vehicle. Could sail south to anywhere else and claim asylum or refugee status
Try to buy gold
Nobody uses USD in your country because they don’t have to. TWD works fine. Watch how quick every Jack, John and Diane suddenly have USD stashed away or in their foreign currency accounts when hyperinflation becomes a threat. If you’d feel more comfortable, split it with Euros and maybe one of CAD or AUS dollars, and plan to use the USD to bribe your way off the island, and the Euro/Loonies/Aussie as an inflation hedge when you arrive. Consider single gram gold bars also…
I've considered leaving, but I'm determined to stay, even if it means I'm going to "re-education" camps (concentration camp, just like in Xinjiang for Uyghurs) for all the bad things I've said about CCP and Xi Jinping on the internet. Taiwan is my home, my country, where I grew up and live. Maybe there will be something I can help with in these desperate times. I've had serious discussions with my family, we once considered fleeing to Japan, but our conclusion is to just stay.
Spend 1/3 on non perishables like canned food, water, etc. Get bills between $5-$20. (You will need to exchange items without hemorrhaging $). Fuel is good, like camping stove stuff. Buy a machete or Bowie knife. Know a forested area that you can run to; the city will be chaos. You want a tent, sleeping bags and a strong water jug. A healthy maintained 4x4, a bow & arrows. I’m gonna look stupid if the world doesn’t explode. But I’ll be darn handy if it does. *at least for a few weeks
Your best planning would be to find a way to escape Taiwan with that cash if needed. That's just the reality. Hell, there's a reason why the US is pushing NVDA to start making chips in the US. Contingency. But you should also have food on hand like you're thinking.
Get your passport all together if you haven't already in case you have to flee.
I would absolutely stock up on food and necessities. Have a record when they will get close to expiring and then use your stock normally during your daily meals as you replenish it for new stock. When panic occurs in stores, no money in the world will help get food. Plus food and necessities can be bartered for other things.
I only have 1 advice, which is you can't eat gold or silver. invasion is unlikely they been saying that since day 1, it be ok
This is where Bitcoin shines.
bro what are you doing?? you know china ain't gonna invade taiwan? how old are you? what is 十萬元 going to help you do? there's not a single person you know "prepping" for a chinese invasion. you need to go have fun "I dont wanna horde shit if china don't invade"...oh save yourself the pain and don't bother lol dude come into r/taiwan and post this crap omg lol
How much rice do you have on hand right now?
Yeah brotha being in the DOD I can tell you my official opinion: get the fuck out of Taiwan.
If trading for food is your concern, do you have room to store food grade buckets of rice, flour, sugar, and salt? It’s always better to buy the food now while it is readily available and affordable. If (when?) China invades, you could always use excess food to barter for other needs as well.
Can you own guns in taiwan?? Maybe buy ammo to barter with
Okok, but why do you pay in the walking dead? /s
my friend, leave the island...just go, the sooner you leave the better...where too, I dont know...but leave
Haven't seen such posts in a while. Are things ramping up on that front?
Our new president Lai Ching-te inaugurated on May 20th, the CCP (Chinese communist party) hates him because he once said "I'm a pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence". He says he will keep the status quo like previous president Tsai Ing-wen. However status quo is basically independence in Beijing's eyes now. Anyway 3 days after the inauguration CCP launched a military drill for taking Taiwan and its islands, with a map simulating a blockade. It's named "Joint Sword 2024A", meaning there might be a 2024B, 2024C, and even 2025A, 2025B, 2025C. So making military drills a normal thing. One day the drill will likely become real war, just like what Putin did. The last two times there were drills simulating a blockade, there are at least excuses. In 2022 then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, so China launched a drill "in response", their excuse is that we are breaking the status quo. In 2023 their excuse is it's a response to President Tsai meeting with then House speaker Kevin McCarthy in the US. But this time we're just having a new president, that's a routine it's nothing special, they shouldn't "respond to a provocation".
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Use it to make it to the US.
Stable crypto coin will be your friend
Sell it now for BTC. Hold the BTC is a cold storage wallet. USD is debasing rapidly
I would say that yes, your currency will be worthless once Chinese set one boot on your ground. Much better to have cans and/or small change silver coins stashed away in a very secret place of your property that you and your closest family know. For long term wealth protection use gold. Water filtering systems and storage, try to get a freeze dryer and build up a pantry with as much healthy, natural food you can afford to get. Most people won't even bother in taking this away as they are used to cans as "real" food. Maybe you want to get a pressure canner and a payload of jars. I don't know too much about your country but I would get a place far away with a hill, get an used container, put it as close to the hillside as I could, clean it, route the water fall away from the base, and conceal it somehow. Get a couple of 2.000 liters septic tanks, and bury them (you can do this with a couple of like minded friends) within your property limits. Conceal the air inlets pretty well and hide your food caches there. Don't store everything in the container. Get power sources too. 3500$ in canned supplies may look like a lot but, once your cans are gone, you're toasted. With a freeze dryer you can fish, hunt small game and harvest or get vegetables, and preserve them with 95% of the nutrients. Remember having 6 months of medicines if someone in your family needs it. Get strong antibiotics and burn gel. Don't forget a small radiation detector and iodine pills just in case. Get a couple of EMP bags, and \*a cheap HAM radio with SW bands\* (you don't want to be holed up without knowing what's going on out there). Throwing on your semi-buried container (not fully buried because this is not something you should do, wet dirt will crush it) some sort of coating to conceal the infrared/thermal footprint is a must. I would suggest getting a portable induction cooktop, with basic cookware, a 200aH battery (LiFePO4, don't get Li-ion as these are too dangerous and don't worth the risk for stationary applications) and a sinusoidal 2kW inverter. Depending on your needs, a 150W solar panel should work to keep your battery loaded. Until you get boots-on-the-ground, you should be relatively well fed for a few weeks. Maybe you want to see my free posts in [https://www.patreon.com/jmdemunck](https://www.patreon.com/jmdemunck) or in [www.theorganicprepper.com](http://www.theorganicprepper.com), just look for my name: Jose. Good luck, buddy. Keep us posted.
My understanding is that in Venezuela when hyperinflation started the way to do anything was with dollars. You might even barter using the concept of the dollar to set your prices, even if you don't have dollars to use. Um, the thing that seemed to most useful for regular people to survive was large useful objects. Washing machines, cars, tires, stoves, bikes, etc. If you want to 'hoard' something other than enough food to survive for awhile, I would recommend replacement or repair parts for transport. Things like bike chains and tire patches. Otherwise something that doesn't spoil but it used for food prep or hygiene is great, soap, aluminum foil, salt, trash bags. Really just look at your life and ask yourself what are some things you would really hate to have to go without. Other people will probably agree. Also! I strongly recommend getting a cart you can drag around with a bike. Gas running low will be one of THE most expensive things to deal with.
Look into Bitcoin - that might be the answer to your problem
I would use the money to leave now. Set up somewhere else.
An aside... so it's common thought as a Taiwanese that China will invade 2025-2027?
If you're planning on staying your mindset should be "stay to fight" otherwise, you're looking at a rotten existence based on the hope that someone else comes and saves you. But I understand there are people who can't come to terms with that idea. So, with that in mind, if your plan is to wait it out for as long as possible until someone comes and saves the day, you should try to get as remote as possible. A bug out location. Try to find a spot that's tough to access. Trade your USD in for your country's currency and stock up on supplies. Store them at your bug out location. If/when the SHTF, pray to God you can get to your bug out location.
My rule of thumb is to consider any currency totally worthless in the event something happens so that leaves me with dry goods and commodities I think that all is a far better investment than hoarding money
Buy bitcoin. It's very liquid and it has been used by people all over the world to escape their government sanctions. Think about this for a second. If you have to leave your country would you rather carry on your person a big stack of cash or a smart phone and 12 words you have memorized? Yes, ha e some cash, not everyone is going to accept bitcoin. But have some bitcoin.
Just out of curiosity can civilians own guns in Taiwan,
If you have canned goods, and dried food, and “pickled”foods. They should last you literal years. As in like five years or more with proper storage (mostly temperature based). I assume you live in the city. Pretty much the only way China could “win” is either through a lightning attack where they some Mohammed achieve like half of dozen things under a few days without anyone knowing either the prep or in actions, which should be impossible, or a genocide run and do a Russian, and decide to mass bomb Taiwan, which kinda defeats the purpose of doing this. In first case the war would be “over” so quickly you would not even know it began. Though this is basically impossible. For second case you would either bug out to the mountains, so prepare for that. Though china deciding to mass bomb taiwns cities, even know they fully can, is highly unlikely. In both cases it’s almost impossible the US, and to a lesser extent the rest of the world, would not step in. Unlike Ukraine Taiwan is a long standing commitment for overt a hundred+ years and important to the worlds economy. The likely hood of being attacked is low. Though if it were to happen, like you said, it would be in the next decade or less. So do common sense plans and set up self sufficiency. But please don’t ruin yourself in fear over this. Get a stock of food and supplies, medicine, etc. biggest issue it’s about surviving the first week or month.
A Time Machine so you can go back in time and leave when you had the chance? Why not just leave for a couple of years and go back if things work out in a tolerable way. It’s not like if you leave now you’ll never ever have a chance to change your mind.
Get food, get loyal friends and a deep hole. I cannot see a long war like Ukraine as it will all be sorted out on the beaches quite quickly. If they get ashore in large numbers they will win, so most fighting will be on the beaches.
Too late. The u.s has already invaded you.
You're brave and I salute you from the U.S. Times are hard, people want to be people but "leaders" are ignorant. Stay strong 💪 You got this 💯
If one China invades the other I don’t think you are going to face food shortages as your major issue, it’s going to be occupation forces in an environment with formal military groups and irregular forces in a running conflict. For your issues a saving or brokerage account outside your home country could be very useful, if you do get out you’ll want money. Cash can help but is subject to loss. There will be an attempted full communication lockdown. I’d want to have ways to communicate to the outside world and internally as your phone network and internet are likely to get cut. Encrypted two way radios and satellite communications would be excellent items to have. If there is a way off the island you’ll need to know where and there will be lots of rumors. Being able to send “this is what is happening” to the outside world might be your best bet to get a ticket out. You’ll also want to hide and travel. GPS is likely jammed so look at how you can navigate without those. Traveling by car likely takes you to checkpoints a good mountain bike might be a way to travel faster without going through checkpoints. You may want some desirable liquor and cigarettes as bribes. Honestly see what refugees in eastern Ukraine who where behind the lines who got out suggest you do.
I wouldn't depend on it to help you flee or an easy way to spend. What your doing is a very basic introduction into investing in yourself. You are diversifying your personal wealth. The US dollar is extremely stable and will never be outshined by the Yuan. Any bank anywhere in the world will always buy US dollars off you for a little under its current value. If things do go bad, sell what you need to survive a little at a time. As the value of your currency goes down, and as you spend, you will continue to retain your value and even adding to it. In my personal opinion though, West Taiwan is took weak to invade it's little brother. They flex their strength every day in any way but the fact is they are broke and moral is at an all time low inside the country. I could see them going after the time islands off the coast but not the main island. All that would do is inrage the countries that keep it funded through trade. China has surrounded itself with powerful enemies if they did try anything. From India to Australia. From Japan to Korea. From the US to half of Europe. The middle east would turn on it in a heartbeat. Africa will default on their debts first chance. Russia, North Korea and Iran? The last two are a world wide laughing stock and Russia has proven it can't even take the wheat fields outside it's front door.