Summary
Taiwan is conducting a five-day series of high-readiness military drills intended to verify that its armed forces can shift instantly into combat operations. Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the exercises respond to a perceived shortening of warning time for any potential Chinese attack and include scenarios where routine Chinese exercises around the island could be transformed into actual assaults.
Drill objectives and scope
Speaking on Wednesday, Defence Minister Wellington Koo described the purpose of the drills as a test of Taiwan's ability to act without delay if war breaks out. Taipei has designed some training sequences around a scenario in which China abruptly converts one of its regular exercises into a real attack on the island.
The exercises, which Taipei calls "immediate combat readiness" drills, place heightened emphasis on the speed required to move from peacetime posture to wartime status. Koo told reporters in parliament: "It is intended to build the speed we believe is necessary for converting from peacetime to wartime status." He added: "In other words, given the current threat situation from the enemy, and as we believe the warning time is shortening, we need to verify that we can respond immediately."
In addition to rapid mobilization, the drills are testing whether Taiwan's armed forces can continue to respond effectively when operating under a decentralised regional command structure, Koo said.
Context of regional military activity
The drills come as China maintains near-daily military operations around Taiwan, which Beijing regards as its own territory. This week, China's newest aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, underscoring Beijing's active naval presence in waters near the island.
Taiwan conducts regular training throughout the year. This month, its forces fired a new U.S.-made HIMARS rocket system into the Taiwan Strait, and Taipei is preparing for its main annual Han Kuang exercises, expected in August.
Beijing's response
In Beijing, Zhang Han, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized the drills and attributed them to what she described as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's aggressive push for independence. Zhang said the exercises revealed the DPP's "malicious intent to seek independence by force." She added: "In the face of the powerful people’s army, the DPP authorities’ posturing is completely futile; it will only harm and destroy Taiwan and bring about their own destruction."
Zhang reiterated that Beijing was prepared to make its greatest efforts to achieve "peaceful reunification." She said, however: "We will never pledge to renounce the use of force, and we will never leave any room for separatist activities seeking Taiwan independence in any form."
Recent large-scale activity
China staged its most recent full-scale war games around Taiwan in late December. Taipei's current drills are intended as a validation of readiness given the defense ministry's view that the time for warning before potential hostile action is shrinking.