Taiwan launches into combat training with plans for live-fire drill to fend off mainland China attack
- Exercise to feature range of weaponry but not linked to Beijing’s unification call, source says
- Taiwanese president accuses Beijing of sending spies to the island
Taiwan will stage a live-fire drill on the island next week, the first in a series of exercises this year to test the military’s ability to fend off an attack from mainland China.
According to a notice from the 10th Army Corps, a drill simulating an invasion via the city of Taichung will be held in Fanzailiao in central Taiwan early on January 17.
“The drill will involve weapons launched from the air, sea and land,” the corps said.
A military source said the 1½-hour exercise was expected to feature indigenous Thunderbolt-2000 multiple launch rocket systems along with a number of rockets, AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, Hellfire missiles, and various types of cannons.
The source said the drill was not in response to comments last week by Chinese President Xi Jinping urging the self-ruled island to start unification with the mainland.
“The drill has nothing to do with the recent speech by ... Xi Jinping. It was planned long before Xi made the ‘one country, two systems’ comment earlier this month,” the source said.