The live-fire component of Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises are to begin today with a drill dedicated to testing the nation’s ability to defend critical supply lines in the event of an attempted blockade by China, while the four-day annual Wanan air defense exercise is to begin at 1:30pm in central Taiwan.
The 40th annual Han Kuang exercises are to run 24 hours a day nationwide from today to Friday, with an emphasis on testing Taiwan’s ability to protect critical infrastructure in the capital, Taipei, and enhance the resilience of key infrastructure nationwide, the Ministry of National Defense said.
However, it is also important that Taiwan continue to receive supplies from other countries and deliver them nationwide should a cross-strait war break out, a military source familiar with this year’s Han Kuang exercises said yesterday.
Photo courtesy of Military News Agency via CNA
Therefore, a drill aimed at testing cooperation between the military and civilians when carrying out wartime supply missions would be staged at a major port in Taiwan during the five-day drills, to ensure links to the outside world remain open in the event of a Chinese blockade, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The source would not name the port or say when the drill would be staged.
Other anonymous military sources confirmed that the drill would involve multiple branches of the government.
The armed forces have been regularly carrying out training activities focused on protecting key harbors and ports, as Beijing would prioritize shutting them down during an invasion, a military general said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Protecting harbors and ports, and supply missions would involve not only the military, but also the Maritime and Port Bureau, the Coast Guard Administration and other land transportation authorities, they said.
“That is why it is important to test cross-governmental cooperation in the upcoming Han Kuang exercises,” the general said.
Retired navy captain Jiang Hsin-biao (江炘杓), an academic in the field of defense, said that Taiwan is heavily dependent on maritime imports of crude oil, natural gas, coal and steel, as well as other strategic supplies.
“It is therefore important to make sure delivery of such key supplies would continue as normal if a war broke out,” he said.
Such a task is extremely complicated and involves coordination between the navy and maritime transport firms, he said, adding that Taiwan has not conducted such large-scale drills for a long time.
The defense ministry announced that, during the Han Kuang exercises, it plans to launch “news anchors” created using artificial intelligence (AI) that can speak 18 different languages.
This use of AI technology would enhance communication with the international community by sharing information related to Taiwan’s national defense situation, it said in a statement.
Air force fighter jets deployed in the western part of Taiwan would today be dispatched to Hualien Air Base in the east while simulating an invasion, the ministry said.
This would be done to ensure that the main backbone of the nation’s fighter jets in western Taiwan, which is closer to China, could also maintain a state of combat readiness in eastern Taiwan, it said.
All of Taiwan’s large naval vessels would leave their home ports early today and travel to designated locations in preparation for training simulations involving scenarios such as confronting enemy forces and deploying naval mines, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the 47th annual Wanan Exercises are to begin in central Taiwan today.
People in Taichung, Chiayi city and county, and Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou and Yunlin counties are required by law to comply with emergency air raid procedures between 1:30pm and 2pm today, the Ministry of the Interior said.
During the 30 minutes, air-raid sirens would go off and pedestrians must follow police instructions and enter the nearest air-raid shelter, it said.
Drivers must park and exit their vehicles, and seek refuge in the nearest air-raid shelter, while people who are at home, at work or in a public venue must shelter in place until the drill finishes, it said.
Those who breach the rules would face a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, it said.
The air raid drills are to take place at the same time in northern Taiwan tomorrow, in eastern Taiwan and outlying areas on Wednesday, and in southern Taiwan on Thursday.
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
TECH CORRIDOR: Technology centers and science parks in the south would be linked, bolstering the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a “Southern Silicon Valley” project to promote the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industry in Chiayi County, Tainan, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. The plan would build an integrated “S-shaped semiconductor industry corridor” that links technology centers and science parks in the south, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The project would bolster the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries, she said. The proposed tech corridor would be supported by government efforts to furnish computing power, workforce, supply chains and policy measures that encourage application and integration