Pojok Militer

Soldiers rappel down from a UH-1H helicopter during a disaster drill in Taipei March 28, 2012. Taiwan on Wednesday held a multiple disaster drill before the upcoming typhoon season. (daylife)

Taiwan kicked off its biggest annual war game April 16, testing its ability to defend the capital against a Chinese attack and ward off a blockade of its main naval base.

Thousands of reservists reported for the five-day drill, which is code-named “Han Kuang (Han Glory) No 28.”

An ROC marines M60A3 tank lands on the beach in Pingtung County during last year’s Han Kuang drills. (CNA)

Hundreds of troops were also deployed outside Taipei as the military simulated a Chinese landing on the shores of the Tamshui River, which flows through the capital, defense ministry officials said.

In the south, the navy mobilized a fleet of mine-sweeping vessels and helicopters for a scenario in which Tsoying, the island’s major naval base, is the target of a Chinese blockade.

A US-made F-16 fighter of the Taiwanese air force flies at a low-altitude over a highway in Chiatung, a township in the southern Pingtung county during a drill (

Ties between Taiwan and its former rival China have improved drastically since Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008 promising to boost trade and tourism links.

But China still claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which has governed itself since 1949, and has vowed to get it back — by force, if necessary — even though the island has ruled itself for more than 60 years.

Defense News