Taiwan begins annual military exercise with “real combat drills” amid rising China threat

Amid the growing threat from Chinese invasion, Taiwan starting Monday will begin military exercises to test its war fighting capabilities.

The five-day drill is being held even as China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) flew a record number of aircraft close to the island this month. Beijing has also increased the number of naval vessels and coast guard vessels operating next to the self-governed island, which it views as part of its own territory.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said the annual Han Kuang and Wan An exercises, between July 22 and July 26, will focus on “unscripted and real combat drills.” Including drills such as shelter-in-place and air defence drill alerts.

The Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s biggest annual defence drills, have been held every year since 1984 to test Taiwan’s combat readiness in the face of a possible Chinese invasion.

On July 11, Taiwan’s defence ministry said it detected 66 Chinese military aircraft operating around the island within 24 hours, the most sorties on a single day in 2024. On July 10, Taipei said it detected China’s aircraft carrier Shandong sailing through waters near Taiwan to join military exercises in the western Pacific.

Meanwhile, for the 47th Wanan air raid drills, held annually since 1978, people living across Taiwan will hear sirens ring out between Monday and Friday. Residents should shelter in place or seek cover at the nearest air raid shelter, Focus Taiwan reported in an advisory.

The drills aim to raise public awareness of emergency response measures and reduce the likelihood of casualties and damage in case of an enemy attack. They are also a way for Taiwan’s government to test local authorities’ emergency response capabilities, it said.

The 40th annual Han Kuang exercises will run 24/7 nationwide from July 22-26, with an emphasis on testing Taiwan’s ability to protect critical infrastructure in its capital as well as to enhance the resilience of its key infrastructure nationwide, according to the Ministry of National Defence (MND).

Focus Taiwan cited a source as saying that it was “important for Taiwan to continue to receive supplies from foreign countries and deliver them nationwide should a cross-strait war break out.”

The source was cited as saying that “A drill aimed at testing military-civilian cooperation to carry out wartime supply-delivery missions will therefore be staged at a major port in Taiwan during the five-day live-fire drills to ensure links to the outside world could remain open in the event of a Chinese blockade.”

A military general told Focus Taiwan that the nation’s armed forces have been regularly carrying out training activities focused on protecting key harbors and ports, since Beijing would prioritize shutting down these sites during an invasion.