Taiwan President Lai Ching-te oversaw coastal strike drills on Saturday during annual war games, boarding a fast attack missile boat and watching the deployment of low-flying attack drones to simulate beating off a Chinese assault.
Taiwan’s Defense Readiness
Taiwan kicked off the Han Kuang exercises on Wednesday. Lasting 10 days, the drills focus on Taiwan’s combat readiness against a potential invasion by China, which regards the democratically governed island as its own territory and has vowed to bring it under its control, by force if necessary.
Lai boarded a fast attack missile boat at a navy base in the southern city of Kaohsiung, from where he broadcast a message to the sailors taking part. The purpose of the Han Kuang exercise is to use live troops, live terrain and live equipment to test command coordination, combat responsiveness and homeland defence capabilities.
China views Lai as a “separatist” and has rejected his repeated offers of talks. The drills are a demonstration of Taiwan’s defense capabilities and its commitment to protecting its sovereignty.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
