By Ben Blanchard
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan’s annual war games this year will be as close to real combat as possible, no longer just providing a spectacle to score points but attempting to simulate real combat given the growing “enemy threat” from China. said a senior official. the official said.
China, which considers democratically governed Taiwan its territory, has been holding regular exercises around the island for four years to pressure Taipei to accept Beijing’s sovereignty claim, despite Taiwan’s strong objections.
Taiwan begins its five-day Han Kuang exercises on July 22.
A senior Taiwanese defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity so he could speak more freely, said there was an urgent need to rethink how the exercises were carried out.
“In recent years, the enemy threat has changed rapidly,” the official said. “Our defense combat plan must also be continually revised in a progressive manner, and the urgency of comprehensive combat training is increasingly important.”
Elements that were mainly for show, such as rehearsal drills, have been cancelled, while this year there will be night exercises and, unusually, the capital Taipei will also be included, the official said.
“It’s not about scoring points,” the official said. “We want soldiers to ask themselves if this is real.”
Things can go wrong, such as vehicle breakdowns, and that’s okay, the official added. “These are problems that can be faced in real combat.”
The exercises will be a continuous experience, the official stated. “War does not distinguish between day and night.”
China’s Defense Ministry did not respond to calls seeking comment on the exercises outside office hours over the weekend. He has previously said that it is useless for Taiwan to think it can use weapons to prevent “reunification.”
Announcing the exercises in April, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the war games would practice “death” zones at sea to break a blockade and simulate a scenario in which China suddenly turns one of its regular exercises around the island in an attack.
“Only with real-time verification on the ground will we be able to truly understand the capabilities and limitations of our troops,” the official said.
China held two days of its own war exercises on the island shortly after President Lai Ching-te took office last month, saying it was “punishment” for his inauguration speech, which Beijing denounced as full of separatist content.
But China has also been using gray zone warfare against Taiwan, employing irregular tactics to exhaust the enemy by continually keeping it on alert without resorting to open combat. This includes sending balloons over the island and almost daily air force missions to the skies near Taiwan.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Lai, who says only the Taiwanese people can decide their future, has repeatedly offered talks but has been rebuffed.
The official declined to comment on which parts of the war exercises Lai would attend, as is customary for the president as commander in chief, or whether there would be American observers.