President Lai Ching-te traveled to Taitung today to observe the “2026 National Disaster Prevention Day Large-Scale Earthquake Mobilization Exercise.” He commended the central and local governments for jointly completing the exercise and stated that the government will continue strengthening “whole-of-society defense resilience” through exercises, expanded training for disaster-prevention specialists, and deeper international cooperation. These efforts, he said, will comprehensively enhance disaster-response capabilities and protect people’s lives and property. Taiwan will also continue building resilience and making greater contributions to disaster prevention, emergency response, and humanitarian relief throughout the region and around the world.
President Lai began his visit at Taitung Seashore Park, where he received briefings on the operations of the forward command post and the Taitung City Emergency Operations Center. He then observed exercises conducted by the Central Government Coordination Center, the Taitung Forward Command Post, the information and communications operations area, and emergency medical response teams. The President subsequently visited Taitung County Stadium to observe the establishment and operation of an emergency shelter before proceeding to the Fengtian Fire Station of the Taitung Battalion under the Taitung County Fire Department, where he reviewed exercises simulating conditions in a disaster-stricken area.
In his remarks, President Lai noted that next week marks the 27th anniversary of the 1999 Jiji Earthquake and Taiwan’s National Disaster Prevention Day. He thanked participants who had traveled from across Taiwan and abroad to take part in the “large-scale earthquake mobilization exercise.” Over three consecutive days, participating units jointly responded to a challenging scenario involving a magnitude 7.3 earthquake under near-realistic simulated conditions in the southern East Rift Valley. The exercise also tested Taiwan’s ability to respond to a large-scale disaster, and President Lai expressed his appreciation for everyone’s dedication and hard work.
President Lai stated that this year’s National Disaster Prevention Day exercise brought together more than 150 search-and-rescue and emergency medical personnel from 11 countries. 75 members of international observer delegations and representatives from 18 foreign missions in Taiwan were also present to exchange expertise. By training together during peacetime, participants can establish common procedures and build coordination and mutual understanding. When disaster strikes, these preparations enable a stronger and more effective response, allowing participants to help save lives anywhere in the world.
President Lai added that “when the government is prepared, the private sector is capable, society has trust, and international partners support one another, Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific become more resilient.” The President explained that this year’s exercise followed a “limited-notice, unscripted format” and simulated damage to critical infrastructure and the disruption of external assistance to test a range of response capabilities. Drawing on lessons from Typhoon Danas and the Matai’an Creek barrier-lake disaster last year, the exercise incorporated backup mechanisms for communications outages as well as the evacuation and sheltering of displaced residents, thereby strengthening disaster-response coordination between the central and local governments. President Lai emphasized that only by taking a pragmatic approach and continually pursuing improvement can Taiwan comprehensively enhance its disaster-response capabilities, protect lives and property, and maintain the normal functioning of society. This, he said, is the central objective of Taiwan’s “whole-of-society defense resilience” initiative.
The President further stated that Taiwan’s special search-and-rescue teams have established a rotational duty system, enabling them to be placed on standby within four hours of a major disaster. Taiwan has both the capability and the willingness to work alongside international partners in humanitarian relief operations whenever the global community is in need. “Taiwan belongs to the world,” President Lai said. Taiwan is willing to learn from the world and share its experience in return. It will continue strengthening its resilience and contributing more to disaster prevention, emergency response, and humanitarian relief throughout the region and around the world.
President Lai concluded by thanking the Taitung and Hualien county governments for organizing the exercise, as well as central government ministries and agencies, 19 city and county governments, the Armed Forces, telecommunications providers, the Tzu Chi Foundation, and all participating civic organizations. He again thanked Taiwan’s international partners for their support and expressed hope for greater cooperation and exchanges in the future.
Also attending the exercise were Secretary-General to the President Pan Men-an; National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu; National Security Council Advisor Liu Te-chin; Deputy Secretaries-General Lin Fei-fan and Lii Wen; Executive Yuan Minister without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng; Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang; Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung; Legislator Chen Ying; Taitung County Deputy Magistrate Wang Chih-hui; American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene; Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Marie-Louise Hannan; the Swedish Trade & Invest Council Representative Carl Michael Gräns; Singapore Trade Office in Taipei Representative Foo Teow Lee; and representatives of other foreign missions in Taiwan.