Taiwan Tests Its Readiness for China’s Military Actions

Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, recently led a unique exercise. This wasn’t a typical military drill. Instead, it was a “tabletop” simulation. It involved not just the army but also government agencies and local groups. Why? To test how they’d handle potential escalations from China. You might be wondering, why now? Well, China’s been getting more aggressive lately. They’ve been sending more ships and planes near Taiwan. They even held big military exercises when Lai took office and gave his National Day speech. China claims Taiwan as theirs, but Taiwan says it’s independent. The simulation looked at two scenarios. One where China uses sneaky war tactics, and another where Taiwan’s about to face a full-blown conflict. The goal? To see how different government bodies could help keep society running during a crisis. Unlike usual military drills, this one didn’t allow prep notes. Agencies had to react on the spot to various situations. The exercise was chaired by Taiwan’s vice president and other top officials. A key takeaway? Taiwan needs to get better at fighting fake news during emergencies. They also plan to train 50, 000 volunteers to help with disasters by next year.