TAIPEI — Taiwan will simulate repelling an invading force, emergency repairs of a major air base and using civilian-operated drones as part of…
TAIPEI — Taiwan will simulate repelling an invading force, emergency repairs of a major air base and using civilian-operated drones as part of military exercises starting next week, the defense ministry said on Tuesday amid growing tensions with China. Over the past year or so, China has ramped up military drills around self-ruled and democratic Taiwan, including flying bombers and other military aircraft around the island. China claims Taiwan as its sacred territory, and its hostility towards the island has grown since the 2016 election as president of Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party. China has been issuing increasingly strident calls for Taiwan to toe the line, even as Tsai has pledged to maintain the status quo and keep the peace. Taiwan's annual Han Kuang drills, which start next week with a computer-aided command post exercise, do not make explicit mention of China, instead referring to "offensive forces invading Taiwan".
