Security worries push more firms in Taiwan to plan for emergencies, US group says

Taipei: More foreign companies in Taiwan are preparing emergency plans as ‍security concerns rise but actual disruption from tensions with China is very low, the American Chamber ⁠of Commerce in Taiwan said in a survey released on Tuesday.

Democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory over the objections of Taipei's government, has faced increased military pressure ‌from Beijing ‌in recent years. China held its last round of war games around the island in late December.

AmCham Taiwan, ‌in its 2026 Business Climate Survey, said that around 46% of respondents said they were revising business continuity plans to "bolster resilience", compared with 40% last year.


This year, national security topped the list of foreign companies' perceived risk to business operations, though ​only 7% reported significant disruptions last year from ​tensions in the Taiwan Strait, it said.

Personal anxiety about increased military activities remained ‌unchanged at ‍three, on a scale going up to five.

"Companies choose ‍to stay in Taiwan despite these geopolitical concerns and it's ‌not because things are easy, it's because companies are getting better to manage these risks with resilience planning and business operation planning," AmCham Taiwan Chairperson Anita Chen told reporters in Taipei. AmCham Taiwan, which said that 206 of its 411 eligible members responded to the survey conducted shortly before China's most recent war games, said 92% planned to maintain or increase investment ‍in the semiconductor powerhouse island this year, with overall confidence high. The group serves as an important conduit between the foreign, especially ‍U.S., business community ⁠in Taiwan and ⁠policymakers in both Taipei and Washington. Taiwan's government has repeatedly called for the swift passage of an agreement to avoid double taxation, currently stalled in the U.S. Senate, saying it would encourage more bilateral investment. AmCham Taiwan President Carl Wegner said that from speaking to people in Washington, 2026 looked like a "good year with positive potential" for that deal to be approved.

"We speak about it with all the delegations that come here, they bring that message back" to Washington, he added.