Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan Friday that Taiwan is well prepared and has enough food to last for at least a year in the event of war.
Taiwan must be fully prepared, whether it faces a blockade or has to fight the enemy, said Su, who was there to answer questions about the government’s forward-looking infrastructure budget proposal.
During the interpellation session he was also asked by lawmakers to comment on the inventories of critical supplies in Taiwan, following a recent report in British daily national newspaper The Times.
In the report, Deputy Economics Minister Chen Chern-chyi (陳正祺) was quoted as saying Taiwan takes monthly inventories of critical supplies including food and energy, in case of a potential blockade or conflict with China.
The report was published after China held war games around the nation in August following a visit to Taipei by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, including firing missiles over the island and surrounding Taiwan.
The first focus of these inventories is to ensure there is an adequate supply of weapons, while food and medical supplies are also among the important supplies Taiwan needs, Su said.
Based on the latest estimates, Taiwan has enough grain and rice stockpiled to last about a year, he said, but was unable to confirm whether natural gas and oil inventories could last that long.
The necessary preparations have been made, but the details cannot be disclosed publicly, the premier said.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on Friday said that establishing an inventory supply system is the responsibility of the government.
According to the MOEA, it is necessary to take regular inventories of critical supplies, including for food and energy, to ensure the nation is ready in the event of natural disasters, climate change or an outbreak of disease.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel