Facing increasingly aggressive behavior from Beijing, Taiwan has announced military maneuvers to intercept warships and counter a possible Chinese blockade. The Defense Ministry in Taipei announced on Wednesday that the annual war simulations will be held in May and July.
The announcement follows a Chinese military maneuver off Taiwan this month, during which targeted attacks and a blockade of Taiwan were practiced.
Our scenarios are based on the enemy’s current threats to invade Taiwan and their recent military exercises besetting Taiwan.
Lin Wen-huangTaiwanese Major General
“Our scenarios are based on the enemy’s current threats to invade Taiwan and their recent military drills beset Taiwan,” Maj. Gen. Lin Wen-huang said. The maneuvers would therefore also include war games on the computer to record “various possible actions of an invasion of Taiwan by the enemy”. The military drills were intended to help Taiwan intercept China’s naval and amphibious fleets should the worst come to the worst.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway territory that it wants to reunite with the mainland – if necessary using military force. Most recently, Beijing had not only stopped the maneuver to seal off Taiwan, which had been sharply criticized by the West, but also massively sharpened the tone towards Taipei. (AFP)
