Taiwan holds drills simulating defense against China attacks

Taiwan on Monday launched the annual Han Kuang drill, during which the island nation's preparedness for a possible Chinese invasion is tested and refined.

The five-day exercises come as relations between Taipei and Beijing are particularly strained following the inauguration speech on May 20 of President Lai Ching-te, which China denounced as being full of separatist content.

China considers democratically governed Taiwan to be its territory and has not ruled out using military force to assert its claimed sovereignty.

What will happen during the drills?

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has said that this year's drill will probe the island nation's ability to protect critical infrastructure in the capital and help refine the resilience of key facilities throughout the country.

On Monday, the Taiwanese military kicked off the first day of exercise by defending a major Taipei port, among other things.

Earlier in the day in Taoyuan, outside of Taipei and home to Taiwan's main international airport, reservists gathered to get their orders as they would during a war, and civilian vans were pressed into service to carry supplies.

On Thursday, Taoyuan International Airport will close for an hour in the morning for drills.

There will be intensified nighttime exercises and drills to test operations under conditions when command lines are severed. 

The war games will run parallel with the Wan'an civil defense drills, during which the streets of major cities are evacuated for half an hour during a simulated Chinese missile attack while test alarms are sent to mobile phones.

China itself has been conducting regular exercises around the island for four years in a bid to intimidate Taipei into accepting Beijing's sovereignty. 

It also frequently sends its warplanes into the skies near the islandto highlight its military power.

tj/rm (Reuters, dpa)