Taiwan simulates attack on largest airport as part of annual drills

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - As tensions mount with nearby China, Taiwan's military on Wednesday carried out an anti-takeover drill at the international airport serving its capital Taipei and northern region, local media reported.

The exercise was the first of its kind at the bustling Taoyuan International Airport, designed to assess the coordination and emergency response capabilities of the various military branches of the island in the event of an attack by China, the Focus Taiwan news website reported.

Lasting 40 minutes, the simulation involved aviation and special forces troops, as well as army airborne special forces and firefighters.

It was held as part of the annual Han Kuang war games, with this year's edition aiming primarily to "evaluate the military's ability to coordinate across different branches and their capacity "to respond effectively in the event of a hypothetical Chinese invasion," according to the Defense Ministry.

Held since 1984, the weeklong Han Kuang exercises include all branches of Taiwan's armed forces. Live-fire drills and computerized war games are also held during the drills.

The ministry said 46 air raid drills will take place by Thursday.​​​​​​​