In late October 2024, just a week after China staged military drills simulating blockades and port attacks around Taiwan, the self-governed island revealed its emergency food plans. In a legislative report, the Agriculture Ministry said rice stocks were sufficient to support the 23.4 million residents for at least seven months, the Reuters news agency reported.
In the event of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) blockade, Taipei also plans to establish supply stations for rationing; dedicate more land for growing rice; prioritize growing sweet potatoes, soybeans and vegetables; ensure a sufficient feed supply for fish; and use more ponds for aquaculture.
Two months after the drills, Taiwan ratcheted up its defense planning. It conducted its inaugural simulated exercise to test the readiness of government agencies and civil groups in the event of a CCP military escalation, according to Taiwan’s presidential office. The exercise and the emergency food plans are part of Taiwan’s burgeoning defense strategy known as whole-of-society resilience. It puts a premium on government and private sector cooperation to respond to military actions and natural disasters, as well as to counteract information manipulation by foreign actors, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and other threats.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te announced the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee in June 2024 and presided over its initial meetings in September and December 2024. “To address threats, whether natural disasters or ambitions for authoritarian expansion, we believe that as long as the government and all of society are prepared, we can respond,” he said during the December meeting. “With determination, there is no need to worry. With confidence, our people can rest assured. This is the goal of whole-of-society defense resilience.”
Taiwan’s Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, which includes representatives from government, industry, civil society and academia, meets in September 2024. Office of President of Taiwan
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