Reporter’s Notebook: Eyewitness to Taiwan’s annual military drills amid growing China threat

TAIPEI – Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang exercises took place this past week. The yearly war drills aim to rehearse combat readiness for a potential Chinese invasion. Our team traveled to the island to join the military and speak to officials about the annual war games.

While a typhoon grounded several of the air force drills, other exercises took place across Taiwan. Throughout the week, troops opened fire on mock invading forces approaching the island and rehearsed rapid response drills to an attack.

“When you’ve got such a giant threat besides you, any kind of preparation – you cannot say it’s enough,” said MP Wang Ting Yu, co-chair of Taiwan’s defense and foreign relations committee. “The next few years, maybe three or five years will be a crucial moment to Asia, to the world. Once we do something right, we can deter or postpone that potential conflict,” he told Fox News.

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China views the democratically governed island as its own. Taiwanese government officials argue their best defense is deterrence.

An example of Taiwan’s defensive tactics is the island’s “porcupine strategy”. Taiwanese researchers explain that with enough small defense mechanisms, the military could disincentivize an attack.

“We are trying to procure more precision weapons, maybe long range, maybe short range, missiles, air defense weaponry, anti-tank missiles. Some portable like a stinger, javelin or everything. That will make Taiwan just like a porcupine. China can attack Taiwan, but they will feel hurt,” said Jyh-Shyang Sheu, a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research.

The Taiwanese government says it needs to invest in Western training and more weaponry. “The Taiwanese military need opportunities to have the real battle experience. That’s what we can learn from our friends. And second, for the next few years, our indigenous submarines will become our capability, can defend our country,” Wang said.

In April, Washington approved a $95 billion dollar aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The United States is also Taiwan’s largest arms supplier. Earlier this year, China sanctioned 12 U.S. defense-related companies for arms sales to Taiwan in retaliation after the U.S. sanctioned Chinese companies linked to Russia.

While some analysts argue a blockade is more likely than an invasion, the tension along the Taiwan strait is a common conversation among civilians. It is even enough incentive for some residents to try to flee.

“My friends ask: Why do you want to study abroad, and I say: Because I want to get the visa elsewhere and take all my family away,” said Fanyi Chao, a Taiwanese college student studying in California.

FOR CHINA’S MILITARY PLANNERS, TAIWAN IS NOT AN EASY ISLAND TO INVADE

That fear is not entirely shared around Taipei. Others told our team they think tensions will never actually amount to an invasion. “We have a Chinese saying: the barking dog will not bite people. So, they (China) are always barking, but they don’t have the guts to fight people,” a man named Peter, who did not provide his last name, said.

Taiwan however, is drawing parallels between itself and Ukraine. The government says its holding talks with Kyiv on lessons learned from Russia’s invasion.

“The Russian Ukraine (situation) gives lessons, and we must further secure the peace of the Taiwan Strait,” said Taiwan’s new Foreign Minister, Lin Chia-Lung, in his first briefing with foreign press since taking office earlier this year.

Those lessons are top of mind for civilians who say they doubt Western allies would come to the island’s aid.

“Because of the Ukraine-Russia war, I want to know more about this area. In the future, should a war break out, it might help me to have a chance to protect myself,” said Eric Luo. The 30-year-old man is among those spending their free time learning to use firearms. As guns are illegal in Taiwan, students practice realistic airsoft guns.

“I’m a person who wants to be prepared for any situation, but peace must be the most important thing,” said another student, Jason Chang.

Across the board, that statement remains consistent. Civilians in training say they want to know how to protect themselves but repeatedly stressed they desperately hope it never comes to that.

“Our fathers, grandfathers experienced wars. We are the children of that generation, so we pass our knowledge to the next generation of young people”. Chi-yi Zang, an instructor at the training camp told Fox News. “Whether there will be a war or not, it is not something we ordinary people can decide, but in the face of a war, it’s up to us to protect ourselves.”