The military on Wednesday concluded a two-day computer-simulated war game exercise with government agencies that focused on a conflict over the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) involving Taiwan, China, Japan and the US.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) oversaw the proceedings by receiving reports at the Presidential Office.
After reviewing the reports, he headed to the Yuanshan Command Center in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) District to monitor the exercise until its wrap-up in the evening.
According to National Security Council (NSC) officials, this year’s conflict scenario centered on military conflicts in the East China Sea between Japan and China, over the Diaoyutais, which are claimed by Taiwan, Japan and China, and which Tokyo calls the Senkakus.
The exercise focused on Washington asking Taiwan to join the “US-Japan Security Alliance,” while China threatened Taiwan against taking sides in its conflict with Japan over the islands.
During the war game, Ma responded to the simulated crisis by initiating a “national security mechanism,” whereby under his leadership, the government tries to placate China, while providing behind-the-scenes assistance to US.
According to NSC officials, “by employing such two-sided policies, Ma was successful in stabilizing the conflict situation in the marine zones around Taiwan.”
More than 400 people from 20 government agencies participated in the annual drill, including the NSC, the Ministry of National Defense, the Coast Guard Administration, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Finance, among others.
During the exercise, media were alerted to simulated responses by some government agencies, when they reportedly had to “deal with chaotic situations in society, when the military crisis reach a high enough level.”
Besides the Diaoyutai Islands scenario, the exercise this year also simulated an escalation of regional tensions due to China’s real-life declaration of an air defense identification zone in the South China Sea.
In the simulation, the government had to boost supply shipments to its military instalment on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島),which is part of the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島).
Separately, the government has lodged “a serious protest” against a Japanese pamphlet recently printed that lists the Diaoyutais as part of Tokyo’s territory.
“The move by Japan is unhelpful to maintaining regional stability and does not change the fact that the Republic of China has sovereignty over the island group in the East China Sea,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.
The pamphlet, also available online, states that: “There is no doubt that the Senkaku Islands are clearly an inherent part of the territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based upon international law. Indeed, the Senkaku Islands are under the valid control of Japan.”
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