Taiwanese military officials said in a statement the country’s military is conducting drills that would join commanders “at all operational and tactical levels” in its annual war games
A country is preparing for a 2027 “invasion” by China following decades of accelerating tensions that have seen it become a target of the CCP regime.
Taiwan, an independent nation roughly 100 miles off the coast of southeast China, has been claimed by the mainland Chinese government as a part of its territory since Communists won control in 1949. The ruling CCP does not recognise the country’s claim to be the Republic of China, nor its status as a self-governing nation, and has insisted it will one day join the mainland through “peaceful reuinification”.
Numerous military drills conducted in Taiwanese waters and threats of military force have not convinced the country’s government of the “peaceful” aspect of this promise, leaving officials constantly weary of a potential invasion. The country’s new government is now planning to use its annual war games to prepare for a potential invasion as early as 2027.
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Taiwanese troops plan to simulate possible scenarios for a Chinese invasion in fewer than two years during war games later this year, its defence ministry has said. The latest round of the annual “Han Kuang” exercises are set to take place this summer, between July 9 and 18, as officials in the US – Taipei’s principal backer – suspect 2027 could be a possible year China chooses to invade.
Taipei’s defence ministry said in a parliamentary report earlier today that it would base this year’s scenario on Chinese “grey-zone” tactics, intrusions during which PRC policy and troops carry out operations that don’t technically escalate the conflict against Taiwan, but allow military leaders to achieve “certain coercive effects” and advance “strategic objectives”.
These, and “possible actions of the Chinese Communist military’s invasion of Taiwan in 2027” will shape the basis of the military exercises this year, and will coordinate Taiwan’s responses at multiple levels. The report states: “Commanders at all operational and tactical levels will plan scenarios and situations from a practical perspective based on the possible actions of the enemy.”
The report adds Taipei aims to “verify the ability of troops at all levels to execute plans, thereby building a military force that can respond quickly and maintain ‘high combat readiness'”. Wellington Koo, Taiwan’s defence minister, warned on Wednesday that China could be capable of switching from a military exercise to full-on combat in less time than expected.
He said the window is “not necessarily as long as we used to think”, adding that Taipei has a host of “key early warning signs that we need to monitor” that may suggest the situation is turning. He informed reporters of the plans while Taiwan’s military held a five-day “Rapid Response Exercise” Taipei said was geared at enhancing the army’s “readiness and response capabilities”.
The earlier drills took place as more than 50 Chinese aircraft participated in “joint combat” patrols around Taiwan on Monday evening, the defence ministry said. And they followed Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s designating his mainland nemesis a “foreign hostile force”.
Beijing said the drills were a response to US stated support for Taiwan, and a warning to the “Taiwan independence separatist forces”. Beijing regularly deploys fighter jets, warships and coast guard vessels near Taiwan.
In December, China vowed to “firmly defend” its soverignty and insisted Taiwan was an “inalienable” part of its terrority. After Taiwan detected Chinese warships and coast guard vessels in its waters, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: “China will firmly defend its national soverignty and territorial integrity.”
Taiwan said its military was on high alert on Monday as Chinese warships sailed near the island, preparing for a strong response from China to President Lai Ching-te’s stopovers in the US. China has launched two large-scale military drills near Taiwan since Mr Lai took office, with Mr Lai being more outspoken than predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in defending Taiwan’s soverignty, agering Beijing which calls him a “separatist”.
