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Taiwan to hold civil defence drill to put emergency responses to the test

Exercise will take place in the southern city of Tainan on Thursday to prepare the public for military conflict and natural disasters

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Taiwan holds air raid exercises every year but there has not been any systematic training for the public to respond to war or other emergencies. Photo: AFP
Lawrence Chungin Taipei
Taiwan will hold a civil defence drill later this week, aiming to test the island’s emergency responses amid rising cross-strait tensions.

The exercise – dubbed “Whole of Society Defence Resilience” – will take place on Thursday from 10am to 2pm in the southern city of Tainan. The goal is to prepare the public for crises such as military conflict and natural disasters.

Taiwan has not been involved in active conflict since the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in late 1958. While the self-ruled island does hold annual civil defence or air raid exercises, they have been criticised as ineffective and there has not been any systematic training for the public to respond to war or other emergencies.

Observers said this week’s drill marked a shift in Taiwan’s civil defence strategy, with more emphasis on real-world applications and building resilience.

The drill was initiated by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te and comes as tensions are soaring across the Taiwan Strait, with no direct communication between Taipei and Beijing. Lai and his deputy, Hsiao Bi-khim, are expected to personally oversee the exercise on Thursday.

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‘Every bit of strength’: Taiwanese leader William Lai vows to boost island’s defences

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Lai has drawn Beijing’s ire by labelling the mainland as a “foreign hostile force” and asserting that Taiwan and mainland China “are not subordinate to each other”.

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