Taiwan to hold largest-ever drills simulating Chinese blockade and invasion
Photo: Taiwan to hold large-scale military drills (Getty Images)
Taiwan's military will hold its annual drills. This year, active troops and reservists will practice a simulated blockade and invasion of the island by China, Reuters informs.
The annual Han Kuang exercises are set to begin on July 9 and will last for ten days. More than 22,000 reservists will take part. According to Reuters, the drills are unprecedented in both duration and scale.
In a video address to the military before the exercises, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said the country has been constantly preparing in recent years for a "war without gun smoke," including Chinese infiltration and disinformation attacks.
Tung Chih-hsing, head of the Taiwan Defense Ministry's joint combat planning department, also noted that the drills will include a scenario involving a coordinated fire attack and a naval landing by a Chinese army assault group.
Taiwan's Armed Forces will also practice launching a series of strikes using precision attacks from sea and air.
The China-Taiwan conflict
China considers Taiwan its territory and calls the island’s government separatist. Taiwan, in turn, considers itself a separate state.
Chinese military forces regularly conduct drills in the Taiwan Strait. These actions often simulate the encirclement of Taiwan and more.
China has repeatedly threatened not to rule out the use of force against Taiwan.
Earlier, experts noted that the US's new non-intervention policy suited China's leadership, which expected Washington to respond cautiously to Beijing's expansionist policies. However, US bomber strikes on Iran may change that approach.
