TAIPEI: Taiwan’s annual war games this year will practise “kill” zones at sea to break a blockade and simulate a scenario where China suddenly turns one of its regular drills around the island into an actual attack, the defence ministry said on Tuesday (Apr 9).
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, has been staging regular exercises around the island for the past four years, to pressure Taipei to accept Beijing’s claim of sovereignty, despite Taiwan’s strong objections.
Taiwan starts its main annual Han Kuang exercises this month with table top drills, extended from a more usual five days to eight given the number of scenarios to be included, followed in July by actual combat exercises, the ministry said.
Tung Chih-hsing, head of the ministry’s joint combat planning department, told a news briefing the drills would practise how to speedily respond to one of China’s drills suddenly turning into an attack, something military planners have begun to worry about, considering their regularity.
Source: CNA
