Markets, convenience stores eyed as resilience hubs: Interior minister

Taipei, June 27 (CNA) Taiwanese supermarket chain PX Mart will be part of Taiwan's resilience exercises in July, and the results will determine if markets and convenience stores will be part of Taiwan's future resilience tests, Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said Thursday.

"Such exercises, should we have actual needs in the future, will be expanded to other civilian retail locations," Liu said.

Taiwan's first "Urban Resilience Exercises" will be held in July to coincide with its Han Kuang military exercises to strengthen Taiwan's whole-of-society defense resilience through "civilian-military cooperation," President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Thursday.

"Key infrastructure sites will be selected for practical drills, and ration distribution points, first aid stations, and relief centers will be set up in surrounding administrative areas," Lai said of the drills scheduled for July 15-17 in Taichung, Tainan and Taipei.

Lai was speaking at a meeting of the Presidential Office's Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, and after the meeting, Liu, the committee's secretary, said PX Mart would take part in the drills in an effort to get local retail businesses involved.

Liu said the committee had been mobilizing the nation's state-owned businesses as sales locations for emergency items since it was established by the Presidential Office after Lai took office in May 2024.

With outlets of privately owned supermarket and convenience store chains closer to the people, the government intends to work with such companies to better deliver strategic resources like rice and oil in an expedient manner, Liu said.

On PX Mart's participation as one such company, Liu said that in the upcoming drill the chain will be in charge of the sales of such emergency resources, a major topic of discussion in Taiwan recently.

PX Mart will also be responsible for three other missions during the exercises: sounding the alarm, evacuating customers, and providing information, according to Liu.

The supermarket chain was willing to join the inaugural drills because its chairman, Lin Ming-hsiung (林敏雄), is a member of the committee and very clear on what the exercises intend to do and entail.

On whether or not PX Mart was given any government subsidies to participate in the drills, Liu said that because Lin is a member of the committee, his company's participation is considered "cooperation" and it will not be given any funds.

Reporters asked Liu whether Taiwan's convenience stores and the likes of Taiwan Sugar Corp. and Taiyen Biotech would be considered in future resilience exercises.

Liu replied that should PX Mart's participation in the drills provide good enough results, other chains, such as Taiwan's four major convenience store chains, could be included to participate in such exercises in the future.