“A test of emergency take-offs and landings of fighter jets on the Jiadong wartime runway – a major element of the exercise – will be conducted as planned,” said Major General Lin Wen-huang, director of the defence ministry’s operations and planning office.

01:05

Taiwan says it will fight ‘to the very last day’ as Beijing sends fighter jets

Taiwan says it will fight ‘to the very last day’ as Beijing sends fighter jets

Warplanes will for the first time test emergency take-offs and landings on the Jiadong section of Provincial Highway No 1 in Pingtung, southern Taiwan – designated as a wartime runway for the air force. Taiwan has four other emergency landing strips on the Sun Yat-sen Freeway, all of which have been tested for similar emergency usability.

The drill will simulate a scenario in which Taiwan’s military and civilian airports and airstrips are seriously damaged by enemy fire, and jets have to land on the highway, military officials said.

Lin declined to give further details of the exercise, which has been held annually since 1984 in the form of live-fire drills and computerised war games, simulating the scenario of the PLA taking military action against the island.

01:01

Taiwan air force conducts military drills after incursion by mainland Chinese warplanes

Taiwan air force conducts military drills after incursion by mainland Chinese warplanes

Although case numbers have gone down, the defence ministry decided against inviting local media and foreign guests to cover or observe next month’s war games to reduce the risk of infection, Lin said.

And ministry spokesman Major General Shih Shun-wen said the military was still evaluating if it should call up the 8,000 reservists to join in the drills as planned in a test of the armed forces’ mobilising abilities.

Shih declined to comment on reports that Japan planned to deploy Ground Self-Defence Force missile units on Ishigaki Island just 300km off the coast of Taiwan, in an effort to counter PLA’s growing naval presence in the area and defend against a potential Chinese attack.

01:50

China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship likely to be deployed in disputed South China Sea

China’s most advanced amphibious assault ship likely to be deployed in disputed South China Sea

“We will do our best to ensure our combat readiness and safeguard our national security. We will also work with like-minded countries to continue to strengthen military exchanges and cooperation in order to increase our defence capability and ensure stability in the Taiwan Strait and peace in the region,” Shih said.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said the island would focus on increasing asymmetric warfare capability against PLA threats.

“This includes development of our home-grown precision weapons or firearms with high mobility,” she said in a statement released by her office detailing her recent interview with Japanese magazine Bungei Shunju.

Tsai also said the island needed to work with partners in boosting security and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and proposed setting up an East Asian security dialogue mechanism to achieve this aim.

01:14

‘Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid’, US says about mainland China’s intimidation in the region

‘Our commitment to Taiwan is rock solid’, US says about mainland China’s intimidation in the region

In Washington on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese National Security Adviser Akiba Takeo reiterated the importance of the US-Japan Alliance for maintaining an inclusive, free and open Indo-Pacific, as well as preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

‘Gross interference’: China hits back at Japan’s defence take on Taiwan

“The secretary and the national security adviser reiterated their shared opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea and activities that undermine, destabilise, or threaten the rules-based international order,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

“They pledged to maintain peace and stability, lawful unimpeded commerce, and respect for international law, including freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea in the South China Sea and beyond,” Price said.