Taiwan announces defense drills after those in Beijing

Taiwan will hold live ammunition military drills this week simulating a defense of the island against a Chinese invasion, officials said Monday, as Beijing conducts new drills around the island. “We will practice countering simulated enemy attacks on Taiwan,” Eighth Corps spokesman Lou Woei-jye told AFP.

Beijing keeps up the pressure

The island’s forces will train to deal with landings on Tuesday and Thursday in the far southern Pingtung area, the Taiwanese military said. Several hundred soldiers and about 40 howitzers will be deployed for these exercises, according to the same source.

The democratic and autonomous island lives under the constant threat of an invasion by China, which considers its neighbor as part of its territory to be recovered one day, by force if necessary. Defying calls to end days of military exercises encircling the self-governing island, Beijing continued joint air and sea drills on Monday, following a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei. last week.

A tense geopolitical context

Mr Lou said the Taiwanese drills were already scheduled and were not a response to the ongoing Chinese drills. The island regularly holds military drills simulating a Chinese invasion and last month trained to repel attacks from the sea in a “joint interception operation”, as part of its biggest annual exercises.

In recent days, China has been accused of simulating a blockade and invasion of the main island of Taiwan during its drills, which were originally due to end on Sunday. Beijing has railed against the trip of Ms. Pelosi, the highest elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years, severing a series of talks and cooperation agreements with Washington, including on climate change and defense.