Exercise comes amid strained relations between the island and Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway Chinese province
Taiwan forces simulated an invasion by mainland China on Thursday as part of live-fire military exercises against a backdrop of rising tensions with Beijing. The annual drills are Taiwan’s biggest military exercise and mocked up a scenario in which Chinese troops launched an amphibious assault. They took place on the outlying Penghu Islands, which sit in the strait that separates Taiwan from the mainland. The defence ministry has warned of a rising military threat from Beijing, which sees self-ruling Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s military is boosting its firepower to counteract the risk, including launching its first ever home-grown submarine project and building a new generation of jet trainers. President Tsai Ing-wen presided over the drills and emphasised the importance of building up Taiwan’s indigenous defence industry. “When Taiwan shows its determination to take the road of defensive autonomy, it is putting on a display to the world of our determination to protect our home and land, ” she said at a military base in Penghu after overseeing the exercise.
