In a first, Taiwan's Presidential Office runs war games to simulate a China emergency

TAIPEI (Reuters) - 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 3-hour exercise on Thursday, 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.

The exercise simulated scenarios including China's "high intensity" grey-zone warfare as well as when the island is "on the verge of conflict" to test response readiness by Taiwan government offices and civil society, a security official familiar with the matter said.

China has staged two rounds of major exercises around Taiwan this year to pressure Taipei, one in May and one in October, dubbed "Joint Sword - 2024A" and B, respectively.



(Reporting by Yimou Lee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)