Taiwan has conducted a large-scale civil defense exercise simulating a Chinese blockade and full-scale invasion, as the self-governed island intensifies efforts to strengthen its preparedness amid growing military pressure from Beijing.
More than 370 government officials and military personnel took part in the closed-door exercise in central Taiwan this week, testing how authorities would respond to a rapidly escalating national security crisis.
The scenario envisioned a series of cascading emergencies, including a Chinese naval blockade, a powerful earthquake exploited by Beijing to spread instability, cyberattacks, hijacked television broadcasts, sabotage of critical infrastructure, bank runs, civil unrest and, ultimately, a military invasion.
Reuters was granted rare access to observe portions of the exercise, which focused on assessing whether officials in Nantou County could continue operating essential government services while coordinating with central authorities and the armed forces during a major conflict.
The drills form part of President Lai Ching-te’s broader strategy to improve Taiwan’s resilience against both military and non-military threats.
In recent years, Taiwan has expanded its resilience exercises to prepare officials and civilians for a range of emergencies, including natural disasters, cyberattacks and potential armed conflict, replacing earlier drills that were often criticized as overly scripted and lacking realism.
“Our adversary is right on our doorstep, just across the Taiwan Strait. That is very close,” said Chi Lien-cheng, the cabinet minister overseeing the two-day exercise.
“If you don’t defend your own country, who else will defend you? I think people are beginning to understand that,” he said.
Chi acknowledged that Taiwan still faces significant challenges in preparing for a large-scale emergency, including potential shortages of resources.
“But that’s all right,” he added. “We are here to see how they carry out the exercise—whether they have the will to absorb these concepts and put them into practice.”
China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, has never ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan’s government maintains that only the people of Taiwan have the right to determine the island’s future.
As the exercise concluded on Thursday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that China had conducted another “joint combat readiness patrol” around the island.
According to Taiwanese authorities, the operation involved several Chinese warships and at least 22 military aircraft, including nuclear-capable Xian H-6 bombers.
Responding to the drills, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office accused President Lai of deliberately escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
The latest exercise underscores Taiwan’s growing emphasis on whole-of-society preparedness as cross-strait tensions continue to rise and Beijing increases its military activity around the island.
