Taipei: Go bags filled with essentials for surviving wartime scenarios or natural disasters have soared in popularity in Taiwan recently amid American warnings to prepare them and rising fears of future military conflict.
According to Focus Taiwan, individuals connected to the trend have expressed various motivations behind the growing public interest and shared how they are preparing. The trend sparked significant discussion on June 11, when the Kaohsiung Branch of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) posted a message on Facebook urging people to prepare go bags, calling them “super important to stay prepared for any emergency.” This prompted a surge in online interest, with Google Trends indicating a dramatic rise in searches for the Chinese term for “go bag.”
Bonny Lu, CEO of SafeTaiwan, reported that sales of go bags doubled on June 11 and increased to eight times the level of June 10 by the following day. Lu noted that sales in the first half of 2025 were already five times higher than in the latter half of 2024, with “war” being the top concern among customers.
Arnas Kuo, an environmental professional in her early 30s, cited repeated warnings from U.S. officials about China’s preparations for an invasion of Taiwan as a significant influence in her decision to prepare a go bag. Similarly, schoolteacher Amy Chang pointed to heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait and China’s military drills as factors prompting her to start preparing.
An unnamed U.S. State Department spokesperson clarified that the AIT’s post was primarily a reminder to prepare for natural disasters. However, Lin Thung-hong, a research fellow at Academia Sinica, highlighted that the message resonated due to rising public awareness of war-related risks. Lin noted that while natural disasters like earthquakes mostly affect Taiwan’s east and south, a conflict would likely target the political and economic centers in the north and west.
The trend has prompted discussions on what should be included in a go bag. Lu suggested prioritizing items critical for daily life and survival, such as clothing, water, food, medications, and a light source. For war scenarios, additional items like water filtration devices for long-distance evacuation might be necessary.
Kuo, who lives alone in Taipei, has prepared her go bag to sustain her for three days in an air-raid shelter, while Chang plans to stock two to three months’ worth of food and water for her family in Taoyuan. Chang emphasized Taiwan’s limited capacity to endure a prolonged conflict, underscoring the importance of preparedness.