Taiwan to stage military exercises simulating invasion amid tensions with mainland China
Drills come after Beijing holds a series of naval exercises close to the island
Taiwan will simulate repelling an invading force, emergency repairs of a major airbase and using civilian-operated drones as part of military exercises starting next week, the defence ministry said on Tuesday amid growing tensions with mainland China.
Beijing has ramped up military drills around self-ruled and democratic Taiwan, including flying bombers and other military aircraft around the island, since the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, took office in 2016.
Beijing sees the island as a breakaway Chinese province to be brought back into the fold and has not ruled out reunification by force.
Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang drills, which start next week with a computer-aided command post exercise, do not make explicit mention of the mainland, instead referring to “offensive forces invading Taiwan”.
The major part will be a live-fire field training exercise from June 4 to June 8, including “enemy elimination on beaches”, the ministry said.