Taiwan begins 10-day military drills to counter Chinese threats

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan on Wednesday launched annual military exercises intended to guard against Chinese threats to invade, including using so-called “gray zone tactics” deployed by China that stop just short of open warfare.

This year's 10-day live-fire Han Guang drills are the longest yet and follow the delivery of a range of new weaponry from tanks to unmanned waterborne drones. The drills in Taiwan come as regional tensions and harassment by China and its People's Liberation Army (PLA) are increasing.

China claims Taiwan as its territory to be annexed by force if necessary, while the vast majority of Taiwanese wish to become fully independent or retain their current status of de-facto independence.

The drills began with exercises to counter the actions of Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia ships that have been harassing Taiwanese ships around offshore island groups close to the Chinese coast, the Defense Ministry said. Concerns are that China could launch an invasion under the guise of petty harassment, and the drills will include fortifying ports and possible Chinese landing points on an island lying 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the Chinese coast.

The drills will later focus on simulated anti-landing exercises, with regular forces from all the services backed up by 22,000 reservists, the ministry said. Exercises will continue around the clock for 10 days under realistic conditions taking into account all possibilities, the ministry said, in a possible attempt to counter criticism that past exercises have veered on the performative.

Troops in the drills will use Abrams M1A2T tanks and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System acquired from the U.S., Taiwan's closest partner and source of defensive arms despite the sides not having diplomatic ties at Beijing's insistence.

The ministry called on the public to show patience with any disruptions to flights or traffic and not to believe false information distributed about the exercises.

China responded to the exercises' announcement in a typically acerbic fashion.

“The Han Guang exercise is nothing but a bluffing and self-deceiving trick by the DPP authorities, attempting to bind the Taiwanese people to the Taiwan independence cart and harm Taiwan for the selfish interests of one party,” Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Jiang Bing said at a news conference on Tuesday. The DPP stands for Taiwan's independence-leading ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

“No matter how they perform or what weapons they use, they cannot resist the PLA’s anti-independence sword and the historical trend of the motherland’s inevitable reunification,” Jiang said.

China appears also to have taken actions to disrupt preparations for the drills, with the Taiwanese Defense Ministry saying PLA planes and ships on Tuesday “conducted harassment operations around Taiwan’s air and sea domains under the pretext of a so-called ‘joint combat readiness patrol.’”

Taiwan's armed forces “employed joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance measures to closely monitor the situation and dispatched mission aircraft, vessels, and shore-based missile systems to appropriately respond,” the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

China imposed export controls Wednesday on eight enterprises tied to Taiwan’s military. China has used such tactics before, including sanctioning American companies aiding Taiwan's burgeoning domestic defense industry.

The aerospace and shipbuilding companies added to an export control list by China's Commerce Ministry include defense supplier Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, drone maker Jingwei Aerospace Technology Co., and CSBC Corporation, Taiwan’s largest shipbuilding company.

The new rules, effective immediately, prohibit the export to the companies listed of “dual-use items,” which can be used for both civilian and military purposes, the ministry said.

A Taiwan Defense Ministry spokesman, Chiao Fu-chun, shrugged-off the action saying the island's defense industries have excluded any Chinese-made parts in their supply chains and sought to have all manufacturing performed on the island.

“This Chinese ministry's action is in complete accordance with the policies of our (main arms developer),” Chiao said.

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Associated Press writer Simina Mistreanu contributed to this report from Taipei.