Ma Ying-jeou oversees Taiwanese show of force on Penghu Islands

Wearing a combat helmet and bulletproof vest, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou travelled to the Penghu Islands yesterday to inspect the biggest live-fire military drills there in five years.

The operation on the islands - located in the Taiwan Strait, about 150 kilometres from the mainland - was part of a five-day, round-the-clock annual exercise named Han Kuang 29, aimed at testing Taiwan's readiness to hold off an attack by mainland forces.

The drill was staged around a scenario that saw Communist Party forces coming under attack as they attempted to take control of Penghu in an amphibious landing, before launching an attack on Taiwan proper.

Ma said that, despite warming cross-strait ties over the past five years, the military should remain vigilant amid what he said was a rapid build-up of arms on the mainland.

"In the face of such a threat, we have to prepare if we are to sustain peace in the Taiwan Strait," Ma said, adding that the holding of live-fire drills was necessary to test the defence capabilities of the Taiwanese military.

The military had not previously staged live-fire drills during the island's biggest annual war games since Ma, who opted for engagement with Beijing and cross-strait peace, took office as president in 2008. This year's exercises have been seen as a response to growing criticism at home of Taiwan's perceived neglect of national defence.