Taiwanese soldiers simulated an attack on China's coastline during China's largest annual live-fire exercise on Thursday against the backdrop of Beijing's intensification of military pressure. This exercise, which began Monday, aims to see how the Taiwanese armed forces would repel a Chinese invasion.
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Beijing sees the island as an integral part of its territory liable to be taken over by force. On Thursday, the scenario simulated a deployment of Taiwanese military assets - including fighter planes, warships and ground troops - repelling an attempted landing on a beach in the city of Taichung. Some 8,000 soldiers took part in the exercise, which President Tsai Ing-wen attended. He " demonstrated to the world our solid defense capabilities and our strong determination to defend Taiwan, " she tweeted.
Tanks have been mobilized. ANN WANG / REUTERS
Under threat since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949
Taipei has lived under the threat of an invasion of China since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. In recent decades, the island has not only been surpassed in numbers but also in terms of armaments by the powerful People's Liberation Army. Beijing has intensified diplomatic, economic and military pressure to isolate the island after the 2016 election of Ms. Tsai ing-wen, who rejects China's vision of "one China ".
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Last year, President Xi Jinping made a particularly belligerent speech in which he called the assimilation of Taiwan to the motherland " inevitable ." In recent months, Chinese military aircraft have flown over the island with unprecedented frequency, repeatedly violating its air defense zone, causing Taipei to take off its own aircraft. Western governments are increasingly reluctant to sell advanced weapons systems to Taipei for fear of angering Beijing.
Apache AH-64 helicopters were present. ANN WANG / REUTERS
This therefore prompted Taiwan to develop its own equipment, including missiles, boats and a new aircraft for training. Some of these new capabilities, including locally built surface-to-air and hypersonic missiles, were used during this week's five-day exercise.
