Taiwan's President's Office on Thursday morning held its first tabletop simulation of Chinese military actions in the region to bolster the island's preparedness against "authoritarian expansion," according to a security official.
Ang mga tabletop exercise ay isang paraan na ginagamit ng mga strategist upang suriin kung paano maaaring maganap ang mga totoong sitwasyon, sinusubukan kung paano tutugon at magtutulungan ang mga organisasyon sa harap ng isang simulated na banta.
According to a national security official who declined to be identified, the said exercise led by the office of the president was participated by 19 ministries, local governments, and NGOs.
"It aims to strengthen the ability of the entire Taiwanese society to defend itself against the authoritarian expansion of China and other countries that continue to challenge the international order," he said.
While Taiwan considers itself a sovereign country, China claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory and does not rule out using force to back up its rhetoric.
China has stepped up military and political pressure on the island in recent years and has held three major military drills since President Lai Ching-te took office in May.
The official said the simulation tested Taiwan's response to an adversary's “high-level gray zone operations” — actions that are not direct war but border on combat.
The scenario for the said exercise is China's theoretical drills this year focused on a strategic chain of islands covering Taiwan, Japan, and parts of the Philippines and Indonesia.
Taipei has accused Beijing of increasing so-called "grey zone" harassment by sending warplanes and naval vessels around Taiwan almost every day.
In October, Taiwan said it detected a record 153 Chinese military aircraft in 25 hours after Beijing conducted a large-scale drill that it said served as a "strong warning" to "Taiwan independence forces."
