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Saudi Gazette
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
Sirens and evacuations as Taipei rehearses to counter China invasion threat
TAIPEI — The Taiwanese capital was due to come to a standstill as the capital of Taiwan holds one of its largest-ever civil defence exercises against a possible Chinese invasion. Air raid sirens will ring out across the metropolitan Taipei on Thursday, and in some areas residents must seek shelter indoors, while traffic will grind to a halt. The city will also hold mass evacuation drills and mass casualty event rehearsals. The exercise is held in conjunction with Taiwan's largest ever war games - the annual Han Kuang exercises - as the island increasingly ramps up its defences. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to "reunify" with the island. Tensions have increased since last year when Taiwan elected its president William Lai, whom China reviles as a "separatist". While previous Han Kuang exercises also had civil defence components, this year authorities have combined them in a single Urban Resilience exercise across the island which began on Tuesday and ends on Friday. Each day of the exercise sees air raid sirens ringing out for half an hour in several cities across Taiwan. Residents in designated areas in each city must shelter indoors – or risk incurring a fine - and all shops and restaurants must pause operations. Road traffic must also come to a stop, with drivers required to pull over and head indoors immediately. In Taipei, emergency workers and volunteers will take part in evacuations of a market and temple, schools, subway stations and highways. They will also hold a mock mass casualty event and practise their response in treating the injured, and set up distribution points for emergency supplies. This week's Urban Resilience exercise is the latest civil defence drill Taiwan has held this year as it tries to prepare its cities for possible attacks and raise its population's defence awareness. While US officials have warned of an imminent threat from China and that President Xi Jinping wants his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027, most Taiwanese remain sceptical that an actual invasion will take place. One poll done last October by a government-linked think tank, the Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR), found that more than 60% of Taiwanese do not believe China will invade in the next five years. "The chances of China invading are low. If they really wanted to invade us, they would have done it long ago," said Ben, a 29-year-old finance professional interviewed by the BBC in Taipei on Wednesday. "But I do believe we need these drills, every country needs it and you need to practise your defence... I believe there is still a threat from China." But a few were sceptical. "There is just too big a difference in the strengths of China and Taiwan's militaries," said Mr Xue, a 48-year-old office worker. "There is no use defending ourselves against an attack." The IDSR poll had found that only half of Taiwan's population had confidence in their armed forces' capability to defend the island. It is a long-running sentiment that has spurred the Taiwanese government in recent years to beef up its military and expand Han Kuang. More than 22,000 soldiers - about 50% more than last year – rehearsed defending the island from potential attacks from China in land, sea and air drills. Newly acquired military hardware such as the US-supplied Himars mobile missile system as well as Taiwan-made rockets were tested. This year's Han Kuang exercise also focused on combating greyzone warfare and misinformation from China, as well as rehearsing military defence in cities. In recent days soldiers took part in urban warfare exercises in an exhibition centre and on the subway in Taipei. On Wednesday the military rehearsed pushing back enemy troops on the streets of Taichung city, and turned a high school in Taoyuan into a battle tank repair station. — BBC
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sirens and evacuations as Taipei rehearses to counter China invasion threat
Taipei is due to come to a standstill as the capital of Taiwan holds one of its largest-ever civil defence exercises against a possible Chinese raid sirens will ring out across the metropolitan area on Thursday, and in some areas residents must seek shelter indoors, while traffic will grind to a halt. The city will also hold mass evacuation drills and mass casualty event exercise is held in conjunction with Taiwan's largest ever war games - the annual Han Kuang exercises - as the island increasingly ramps up its claims self-ruled Taiwan as its part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to "reunify" with the island. Tensions have increased since last year when Taiwan elected its president William Lai, whom China reviles as a "separatist".While previous Han Kuang exercises also had civil defence components, this year authorities have combined them in a single Urban Resilience exercise across the island which began on Tuesday and ends on day of the exercise sees air raid sirens ringing out for half an hour in several cities across in designated areas in each city must shelter indoors – or risk incurring a fine - and all shops and restaurants must pause operations. Road traffic must also come to a stop, with drivers required to pull over and head indoors Taipei, emergency workers and volunteers will take part in evacuations of a market and temple, schools, subway stations and will also hold a mock mass casualty event and practise their response in treating the injured, and set up distribution points for emergency week's Urban Resilience exercise is the latest civil defence drill Taiwan has held this year as it tries to prepare its cities for possible attacks and raise its population's defence awareness. While US officials have warned of an imminent threat from China and that President Xi Jinping wants his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027, most Taiwanese remain sceptical that an actual invasion will take poll done last October by a government-linked think tank, the Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR), found that more than 60% of Taiwanese do not believe China will invade in the next five years."The chances of China invading are low. If they really wanted to invade us, they would have done it long ago," said Ben, a 29-year-old finance professional interviewed by the BBC in Taipei on Wednesday. "But I do believe we need these drills, every country needs it and you need to practise your defence… I believe there is still a threat from China."But a few were sceptical. "There is just too big a difference in the strengths of China and Taiwan's militaries," said Mr Xue, a 48-year-old office worker. "There is no use defending ourselves against an attack."The IDSR poll had found that only half of Taiwan's population had confidence in their armed forces' capability to defend the is a long-running sentiment that has spurred the Taiwanese government in recent years to beef up its military and expand Han Kuang. More than 22,000 soldiers - about 50% more than last year – rehearsed defending the island from potential attacks from China in land, sea and air drills. Newly acquired military hardware such as the US-supplied Himars mobile missile system as well as Taiwan-made rockets were year's Han Kuang exercise also focused on combating greyzone warfare and misinformation from China, as well as rehearsing military defence in cities. In recent days soldiers took part in urban warfare exercises in an exhibition centre and on the subway in Taipei. On Wednesday the military rehearsed pushing back enemy troops on the streets of Taichung city, and turned a high school in Taoyuan into a battle tank repair station.
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
China's change to flight path in sensitive Taiwan Strait raises safety concerns
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Beijing's latest move to adjust the flight path without prior negotiation with Taipei poses a threat to flight safety, experts said. TAIPEI – China's unilateral move to open a third extension of the M503 air route in the sensitive Taiwan Strait raises safety concerns and challenges Taipei's ability to manage its airspace, analysts said. The M503 flight path lies just 4.2 nautical miles, or around 7.8km, west of the so-called median line, an unofficial demarcation which for years had served as an informal boundary between China and Taiwan. But Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has increasingly made incursions across the line as it pressures Taipei to accept its sovereignty claims. Beijing's latest move to adjust the flight path without prior negotiation with Taipei poses a threat to flight safety, experts said. 'If an aircraft were to deviate from the path due to weather or mechanical issues, Taiwan's air traffic controllers would have only about 30 seconds to respond,' said Dr Su Tzu-yun, a defence analyst at Taiwan's Institute for National Defence and Security Research. 'This poses a risk to civilian aviation on both sides (of the strait).' The new extension covers an area near Taiwan's outlying Matsu Islands, where Taiwanese holidaymakers fly to for weekend getaways. On July 6, Beijing announced that it had activated the W121 extension connecting Dongshan in China's Zhejiang Province to M503, a north-to-south air route which goes through the Taiwan Strait. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Why Japan and South Korea are on different paths in the latest US trade salvo World Trump says steep copper tariffs in store as he broadens his trade war Opinion Hyper-competitive classrooms feed the corporate world's narcissist pipeline Opinion Is Donald Trump unstoppable? 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But Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) slammed the unilateral decision, saying that it not only disregarded past cross-strait understandings and public opinion in Taiwan, but also increased regional instability. The MAC added that China's international air passenger traffic has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, and pointed out that W121 is not part of any cross-strait flight route. 'How can it be said that it would facilitate cross-strait personnel exchanges? Such claims are obviously unjustified,' the council said. This is not the first time the M503 flight path has been a source of controversy. China had first established the path and its three connecting routes – W121, W122 and W123 – in 2015, provoking opposition from Taiwan. A bilateral agreement was reached later that year to allow for only southbound flights on the path, with the three extensions closed until a consensus was reached. However, China in 2018 unilaterally opened the M503 route to allow for northbound flights. In January 2024, Beijing broke agreements once more, activating the W122 and W123 extensions. China also shifted the route 6 nautical miles eastward and brought it substantially closer to the median line of the Taiwan Strait. This, analysts said at the time, was part of broader Chinese efforts to erase any understanding of the median line, as well as a show of displeasure at the election that same month of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, whom it distrusts. Now, Beijing's activation of the W121 comes just days ahead of Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military and civil defence drills, held to simulate a Chinese blockade and invasion of the island. 'The move is also an angry response to Lai's '10 talks' speeches,' said Assistant Professor Lin Ying-yu, a defence analyst from Taiwan's Tamkang University. In June, Mr Lai kicked off a series of 10 speeches to 'unite the country', sparking debate and drawing ire across the strait. In his first speech delivered on June 22, he said that Taiwan is 'of course' a country , adding that China lacked both the historical evidence and legal proof to back up its sovereignty claims over the island. In response, China condemned Mr Lai's remarks as a 'declaration of Taiwan independence filled with 'heresies'', and accused him of inciting separatism and 'leading Taiwan towards war'. Taiwan legislator Chen Kuan-ting, a member of the Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee in Parliament, warned that 'China is engaging in 'grey zone' warfare under the guise of fulfilling civil aviation needs'. Grey zone tools are coercive actions designed to intimidate while stopping short of a conventional war. For instance, China has sent balloons and drones into Taiwan's air-defence identification zone, aimed at intimidating the public and undermining the morale of the military. Dr Su, the defence analyst, noted how Taiwan should demand accountability from China while raising the issue internationally. 'The situation highlights the necessity for Taiwan to keep making a push for it to join the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao),' he added. Taiwan is not a member-state of the United Nations and thus cannot join ICAO, the agency that oversees global aviation standards and practices, despite being a significant hub for air traffic. In a July 6 statement, Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration said it has asked air traffic controllers to closely watch flights on the W121 route to ensure safety in the region. 'We ask China to quickly communicate with us on this matter in accordance with the mutual agreement reached in 2015,' it added.
