Taiwan beats off Chinese 'invasion'
Patriot missiles streaked across the light-blue Asian sky and F-16s bombarded ships yesterday as Taiwan beat back a simulated Chinese invasion in the island’s largest-ever military exercise.
The “Hankuang” or “Chinese Glory” manoeuvres are meant to test Taiwan’s ability to muster its army, navy, air force and marines against the forces of its long-time rival mainland China, just 160 kilometres (100 miles) to the west, across the volatile Taiwan Strait.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, and Beijing remains committed to bringing the self-governing island back into its fold – possibly in just the sort of Normandy-style beach-landing invasion that this year’s Hankuang exercises simulated.
The drills followed Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian’s decision earlier this year to scrap a government body responsible for the island’s eventual unification with the mainland.
Chen’s measure infuriated Beijing and caused alarm in Washington, which fears being drawn into a war in the Western Pacific.
Although the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, it remains committed to Taiwan’s defence, and has hinted it would intervene if China attacks.
After the latest military exercise, Chen congratulated the Taiwan armed forces on their achievements.
“This is the first time Taiwan has shown the deployment of its Patriot-II missiles,” he said, “and we have made good progress in integrating our reserves into our regular forces.”
But Chen warned that China remains a threat to Taiwan’s developing democracy. “China is acting against Taiwan to try to create the foundation of a future invasion,” he said.
Taiwanese military officials said 13,000 soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines, as well as 7,000 reservists, took part in this year’s Hankuang exercises – more than ever before.
The simulated Chinese invasion began with two Patriot-II missiles streaking northward and taking out a pair of incoming “Chinese” missiles.
F-16 fighters scrambled to attack incoming “Chinese” ships, and Knox-class frigates and Cobra helicopters joined the fray, firing a spectacular array of missiles and other ordinance.
Colonel Yu Chung-ji said that as in the past, this year’s Hankuang simulated the kind of large-scale seaborne invasion last attempted by Allied forces against the forces of Nazi Germany in France in 1944.
Yu acknowledged that if China decides to move against Taiwan, it could also opt for a so-called decapitation strategy – co-ordinated commando attacks and pinpoint bombing against the island’s leaders and key institutions.
“Personally, I think it is more likely they will choose the decapitation option,” he said.
