Hsinchu, Taiwan, Jan 7 (EFE).- The Taiwanese military on Tuesday conducted combat training drills in which it simulated the repulsion of a Chinese incursion, as part of broader military maneuvers intended to strengthen the preparation of the troops on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
The exercise took place at the Hukou base in northern Taiwan’s Hsinchu County, home of the 542nd Armor Brigade of the 6th Corps of the Taiwanese military, which is responsible for the defense of the northern region of the island.
During the simulation, which was open to local and international media and lasted about 15 minutes, different types of air and land vehicles participated, including an Apache helicopter and two Black Hawks, both of American manufacture, as well as CM-11 tanks and CM-22 armored vehicles.
According to military sources, the drills recreated the enemy’s attack on several important targets in the Hsinchu area and the subsequent response by Taiwanese forces, in scripted exercises that culminated in the recovery of positions previously captured by the theoretical adversary.
The maneuvers tested different combat scenarios, such as the use of drones to determine the enemy’s position, the use of attack helicopters and mortars to destroy their facilities and the deployment of tanks and armored vehicles together with infantry platoons and special forces.
“The exercise fully demonstrated the results of coordinated combat training of various types of weapons and allowed the Taiwanese people to witness the army’s rigorous combat readiness and firm determination to protect their homeland 24 hours a day,” the sources said.
This training is part of the maneuvers traditionally organized by the Taiwanese military on the eve of the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, which will officially begin on Jan. 29.
Tensions between China and Taiwan, an island governed independently since 1949 and considered by the authorities in Beijing to be a “rebel province”, have intensified following the inauguration of the island’s president, the pro-sovereignty William Lai, in May last year.
In 2024, Taiwan’s defense ministry detected a total of 3,067 incursions by Chinese warplanes in the vicinity of its territory, 80 percent more than reported the previous year and an annual record since this data began to be released. EFE
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