President Tsai convenes national security meeting of senior officials to monitor developments in the Middle East
President Tsai Ing-wen convened a national security meeting of senior officials on the morning of January 9 to monitor the latest developments in the Middle East. She was briefed by the National Security Council (NSC), the National Security Bureau, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of National Defense, the Mainland Affairs Council, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs on the impacts of conditions in the Middle East on Taiwan.
After receiving briefings from all ministries and agencies, President Tsai issued instructions regarding stock and foreign exchange market stability, energy supply, the safety of overseas Taiwanese, and conditions in the Taiwan Strait.
First, Taiwan's domestic economic fundamentals are sound. The president instructed the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), and the Central Bank to continue monitoring fluctuations in the stock and foreign exchange markets to respond to possible short-term effects and maintain normal, stable market functions.
If conditions in the Middle East cause financial instability or impact national stability, President Tsai instructed that stabilizing mechanisms should immediately be initiated, and necessary measures should be taken to stabilize domestic finance.
Second, Taiwan has more than 100 days' worth of domestic oil reserves, so there are no concerns regarding energy supply, the president said. She asked that citizens rest assured on this matter and instructed relevant agencies to employ price stabilization mechanisms to ensure that the economy would not be affected.
Third, the president instructed the MOFA to closely monitor local conditions in Iran and stated that overseas Taiwanese must be contacted and protected. She further instructed that a plan must be made to remove overseas Taiwanese citizens in the region if necessary and that MOFA should help Taiwanese travelers return safely to Taiwan.
Fourth, the president instructed the MND to accurately monitor security dynamics in and around the Taiwan Strait to ensure cross-strait security.
Attendees included Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), National Security Council Secretary-General David T. Lee (李大維), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of National Defense Yen Teh-fa (嚴德發), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Minister of Economic Affairs Shen Jong-Chin (沈榮津), National Security Bureau Director-General Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正), NSC Advisors Shih Jun-Ji (施俊吉) and Fu Don-cheng (傅棟成), and Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥).