Taiwan’s presidential office held a “tabletop” exercise on Thursday simulating military escalations by China, a first-of-its-kind drill involving government agencies beyond the armed forces that highlights Taipei’s urgency in ensuring preparedness against an increasingly assertive Beijing.

Taiwan's Presidential Office conducted its first ever tabletop exercise simulating a military escalation with China, several officials briefed on the matter said, at a time when the island is facing renewed Chinese military threats.

Taiwan’s presidential office conducted its first-ever "tabletop" exercises involving government agencies without military participation. The goal was to simulate a military escalation with China amid fresh threats from Beijing,

The Chinese government has placed sanctions on seven companies in response to recent U.S. announcements of military sales and aid to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.

Taiwan aims to involve a range of people, including taxi drivers and security guards, to respond to emergencies.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has sanctioned seven military industrial companies and related senior executives over U.S. arms assistance and sales to Taiwan, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday. Boeing subsidiary Insitu Inc., RTX Inc.'s Raytheon Canada ...