Taiwan is preparing more than just the military for a China invasion
I-Hwa Cheng/AFP/Getty Images
- Taiwan has held its first tabletop war game amid rising tensions with China.
- The exercise simulates military escalation and involves government and civil groups.
- Taiwan aims to train 50,000 volunteers for emergencies amid China's military drills.
Taiwan's Presidential Office held its first-ever tabletop war games on Thursday in a sign of heightened tensions with Beijing.
The exercise simulates a military escalation with China, which claims Taiwan as its territory. It took place at the island's Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee meeting.
"The Taiwanese society must race against time to build capabilities that can counter threats of large-scale disasters and deter enemy aggression," Lai said at the opening of the event, without naming any country as an aggressor.
The three-hour wargame exercise involved central and local governments, as well as civil groups. It simulated various scenarios, including one in which self-governed Taiwan is "on the verge of conflict" and "high intensity" grey-zone warfare, Lai said.
Liu Shyh-fang, Taiwan's interior minister, said the island's government aims to train over 50,000 volunteers to respond to emergencies by next year. Authorities hope to involve a range of people, including taxi drivers and security guards, in the effort.
Taiwan's focus on emergency preparedness comes amid escalation with China in recent years. Beijing conducted two major exercises around Taiwan this year, in addition to other drills.
In October, China's military surrounded Taiwan during the "Joint Sword-2024B" exercise to show it could blockade key ports, execute strikes, and assault positions.
In May, China launched the "Joint Sword-2024A" exercise following the inauguration of Lai, whom Beijing has branded a separatist.
"The peace and stability in the first island chain is being collectively challenged by authoritarian states," Lai said, referring to an arc of archipelagos from Indonesia to Japan.
Taiwan's tensions with China are not just about the two sides.
Taiwan — a $775 billion economy with a population of about 23 million — is the world's semiconductor chip hub, so any national security development on the island has broader implications for the global economy.
Meanwhile, the US is obliged to ensure that Taiwan has the means to defend itself under the Taiwan Relations Act.
Just last week, the US State Department approved $295 million in arms sales to Taiwan. China said that it "strongly deplores and firmly opposes" the move.
Taiwanese President Lai has challenged the notion that mainland China is Taiwan's "motherland." In July, he said the government of Taiwan — whose official name is the Republic of China — is older than Beijing.