BUSINESS INSIDER | Published December 27, 2024
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.
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SOURCE: www.businessinsider.com
RELATED: In a first, Taiwan’s Presidential Office runs war games to simulate a China emergency
The exercise simulates scenarios including China’s ‘high intensity’ gray-zone warfare, as well as when the island is ‘on the verge of conflict’ to test response readiness
RAPPLER | Published December 26, 2024
TAIPE, Taiwan – Taiwan’s Presidential Office conducted its first ever tabletop exercise simulating a military escalation with China, several officials briefed on the matter said, at a time when the island is facing renewed Chinese military threats.
Dozens of central and local government agencies as well as civil groups participated in the three-hour exercise on Thursday, December 26, the sources said, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
China has in recent years stepped up military threats, including the large massing of naval forces this month and daily military activities close to democratically Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own over Taipei’s rejection.
The war game held inside the Presidential Office in Taipei was led by Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and National Security Council Secretary-general Joseph Wu, the officials familiar with the meeting told Reuters.
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SOURCE: www.rappler.com
RELATED: Taiwan defense ministry warns of ‘serious impact’ to security under new funding laws
BUSINESS WORLD ONLINE | Published December 26, 2024
TAIPEI – Taiwan’s defense ministry warned of “serious impact” to security after opposition parties passed laws that will require a cut in defense spending of some T$80 billion ($2.45 billion) at a time when the island is facing elevated Chinese military threat.
Taiwan’s opposition parties, which hold a majority in parliament, last week passed legislation to shift spending from the central government to local municipalities, a move strongly contested by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and thousands of protesters.
In a statement late on Wednesday, the defesce ministry said it might need to cut its defense budget plan by 28% for next year, equivalent to around T$80 billion, to meet the new funding requirements
“It is set to deliver a serious impact to the national forces’ military build-up and combat preparedness,” the ministry said. “Major weapon equipment will not be continued to upgrade and it will be difficult to make payments to purchased items according to contracts, resulting in delays or cancellations.”
The ministry said the defense budget for next year accounted to around 2.4% of Taiwan’s GDP, but the possible cut will take it down to below 2% even as countries in the region are increasing defense spending.
“How do we persuade international friends to help us in critical moment when the enemy is invading us?” the ministry said.
China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up its military pressure in recent years to assert those claims, which Taipei strongly rejects.
National Security Council Secretary-general Joseph Wu told reporters on Wednesday more discussions are needed as the budge cut will lead to “serious consequences”. He did not elaborate.
“It will send a wrong message that Taiwan does not want to defend itself. Seeing that, like-minded countries might not want to help our nation.”
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SOURCE: www.bworldonline.com
Chinese Students Fed Dog Food Daily, Bathed in Sewage, Compete for Manure Jobs Post-graduation
On December 19, in Wulidianzi Town, Liaoning Province, a parent went to a local school at noon to deliver food to their child. As the parent passed by the school’s kitchen, they discovered that cafeteria staff were dumping leftover food from students into a bucket meant for dog food, intending to take it home to feed their dogs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqaGSrgsUpI