Taiwan’s annual military exercises, the Han Kuang war games, have officially begun. Drills involving all branches of Taiwan’s military will run from Monday until Friday this week.
The Han Kuang Exercise uses live-fire drills and computer-assisted war games to simulate an attack on Taiwan by China’s People’s Liberation Army. The exercise has taken place almost every year since 1984.
This year’s drills are happening on a smaller scale to previous years due to Taiwan’s recent outbreak of COVID-19. Military authorities also postponed the live-fire component of the exercises, which was originally supposed to take place in July.
The war games mainly focus on defense. That includes protecting vital military infrastructure and ensuring Taiwan is capable of responding after a first wave of attacks.
On Monday, air force units stationed on Taiwan’s west coast simulated a withdrawal to the east.
Forces in the southern city of Tainan are also staging a response to a simulated attack using biological weapons.
Taiwan’s navy is practicing using minehunters to clear a safe passage for navy ships in case Chinese forces attempt to block the ports.