Taiwan tests its resilience against a fictitious blockade by China

Taiwan begins a week of military exercises on Monday, during which it will simulate for five days how to defend itself against a fictitious invasion by China. The Han Kuang exercises, which have been held since 1984, are the largest of the year, and on this occasion the island’s troops will train, among other novelties, night operations and unscripted combat scenarios to test the response of the Armed Forces to a decentralized command, according to the official Taiwanese agency, CNA. One of the keys will be how to maintain links with the outside world in the event of a blockade. The war theatre coincides, as usual, with a civil defence rehearsal against air attacks, which will force citizens to follow police instructions and seek shelter while the alarms sound.

The 40th Han Kuang Games take place in an atmosphere of hostility and a lack of dialogue between Taipei and Beijing. These are the first Taiwanese war games since Lai Ching-te, the island’s new president, took office in May. The People’s Republic considers him a “danger” because of his secessionist tendencies and, just three days after his inauguration, deployed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA, the Chinese army) by land, sea and air around the self-governed island that it considers an inalienable part of its territory. The manoeuvres simulated missile attacks on some areas.

Taiwan is one of those volatile points where the two superpowers of our era collide. The Chinese government sees Taiwan as a rebel province, and sees its reunification as a historic mission that it pursues peacefully, but without renouncing the use of force if necessary. Meanwhile, the United States is its main arms supplier, although it maintains a deliberate policy of “strategic ambiguity” in terms of defense, without specifying under what circumstances it would intervene to protect it.

Between Monday and Friday, Taiwanese armed forces will put special emphasis on their ability to defend critical infrastructure in Taipei, the capital, and on improving the resistance of other key points in the territory. Taiwan is one of the cornerstones of the global technological supply chain. It produces nearly 60% of the world’s semiconductors and 90% of the most advanced ones. “Now, our responsibility is to protect the world’s infrastructure.” [es] “unite the people, oppose annexation and ensure national sovereignty,” Lai said in a speech at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) annual convention on Sunday.

In previous editions, the exercises were planned in a planned manner so that the troops knew at all times what was going to happen. Now they will work in the dark. The fictitious “enemy attack” could occur at any time and place and with any available weapons system, to better simulate real battlefield conditions, the Ministry of Defence explained.

One of its weak points has to do with a possible blockade, so another leg of the military test will have to do with formulas to continue receiving supplies from foreign countries and supply them to the population in case of war across the Strait, according to an anonymous military source cited by the aforementioned agency. In one of Taiwan’s ports, which has not yet been specified, military and civil cooperation will be tested – in coordination with various branches of the Government – to carry out supply missions in times of war. The objective is to guarantee that connections with the outside world remain open in case of a blockade.

Taiwan needs the outside world to maintain its lifeline, which relies heavily on seaborne imports of crude oil, natural gas, coal, steel and other strategic supplies. Taipei’s obsession this year is to maintain that umbilical cord with the rest of the world at all costs. It is also seeking to maintain the information nexus, with plans to launch AI-generated news anchors capable of speaking 18 different languages ​​to share situational information.

Due to the impromptu nature of this year’s exercise, the drills will not include live-fire exercises on the main island, but troops stationed on Kinmen and Matsu — the archipelagos closest to mainland China — will still use live ammunition. Taiwan is also seeking to bolster its defensive capabilities after former U.S. President and Republican re-election candidate Donald Trump suggested in an interview published by Bloomberg on Wednesday that the island should pay the United States in exchange for defense.

The war game comes amid a period of intense activity in Pacific waters near the People’s Republic. Last week, China and Russia put their intense military cooperation on display by deploying at least a dozen warships during two overlapping joint war games in the South China Sea, another flashpoint in global geopolitics. In mid-June, the United States, Canada, Japan and the Philippines held a two-day joint maritime exercise in the South China Sea, and last week the governments of Manila and Tokyo signed a military cooperation agreement that will allow the deployment of their troops in each other’s countries.

In the South China Sea, which lies south of Taiwan, China and the Philippines have also taken a step towards calm, after sparks have recently flown between ships of both countries. Beijing and Manila have reached a provisional agreement to ease tensions over a disputed reef, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday. The two sides have reached an understanding on the “humanitarian resupply of life-saving supplies” of the garrison on the island. Sierra Madrean old Philippine warship stranded on the so-called Second Thomas Atoll. One of the most intense skirmishes in the area took place on June 17, when Chinese coast guards intercepted and boarded with axes and knives a Philippine naval mission sent to resupply troops stationed there; there were several injuries on the Philippine side, including a sailor who lost a thumb.

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