Response

In news from and about Taiwan this morning,

President Lai Ching-te says the government will seek to incorporate civilian
power to tackle natural disasters and threats from China.

According to Lai, government must incorporate "forces from civil society" in
its efforts to effectively respond to various emergencies while maintaining
social order and stability.

The statement comes as Lai hosted the first meeting of his Whole-of-Society
Defense Resilience Committee.

Speaking during the meeting, Lai said when the people of Taiwan demonstrate
their preparedness and determination to safeguard the country, "like-minded
partners in the international community will be more willing to assist Taiwan
in facing various challenges."

Meanwhile, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Si-jien
says his office estimates that 400,000 people could be brought together for
civil protection training and exercises ..

Those people include former substitute military servicemen, volunteers at
police stations and fire departments and those from private disaster relief
and charity groups.

And Hsu says in times of need, those trained individuals can be dispatched by
their local coordination centers to perform organized and community-level
rescue, medical first-aid and evacuation work.

The Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee was formed in June.