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The Diplomat ·Behind the news

Long Night Over Hualien: the China Threat Through the Eyes of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples

by Rafael Baptista

Published 2026-06-10 02:25:00+09:00

How do you prepare for the next invasion when you're still living under the last one?

0:00 / 10:48 · Narrator Charon

Context

When foreign policy analysts talk about a potential Chinese invasion, they tend to treat Taiwan as a single, unified front. But a piece published on 10 June 2026 looks instead at the island's Indigenous communities, who are still living under a legacy of colonization by the very government they are now expected to defend. The reporting holds up because it names a practical problem the broader defense debate usually ignores: how can a state expect marginalized groups to fight for a government that still occupies their traditional land?

Show notes

A report on how Taiwan's Indigenous communities view the threat of a Chinese invasion through their long history of colonization. Drawing on interviews with Sakizaya and Siraya activists, the reporting connects an 1878 massacre by Qing forces to current disputes over military bases on tribal land. It outlines how ongoing tensions with the Taiwanese government complicate efforts to prepare a unified national defense.

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