Taiwan Live-Fire Exercises Aimed At China Muted By Typhoon

Taiwan’s military on Monday kicked off the live-fire component of its largest annual exercise, known as the Han Kuang drills. They are slated to run through July 26, and crucially this comes after China’s recent ‘encircling’ exercises wherein dozens of PLA vessels and aircraft breached the Taiwan Strait median line.

But this year’s Han Kuang drills look to be muted, given a massive storm is hampering military movements. “An approaching typhoon prompted the cancellation of air force drills off Taiwan’s east coast on Tuesday, although naval and land exercises were set to continue in other parts of the self-governing island democracy, which China threatens to invade,” Associated Press reports.

The Air Force 5th Tactical Mixed Wing confirmed cancelation of its portion of the exercises, citing the imminent threat of the typhoon.

“According to the Central Weather Bureau, Typhoon Gaemi was heading westward toward the island with sustained winds of 144 kilometers (about 90 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 180 kph (110 mph),” AP continues. The storm has also resulted in the cancelation of a number of domestic flights as well as ferries on Tuesday.

Thus the drills are expected to be very limited at this point. They are reportedly focusing this year on defending against a Chinese attack on critical infrastructure and supply lines, especially in and around the capital.

The typhoon bearing down on the island is named Gaemi…

Taiwan cancelled some drills in its annual war games as Typhoon Gaemi heads towards the islandhttps://t.co/a1JUF8HXzk pic.twitter.com/49Xc8VsQ4V

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) July 23, 2024

Key to this will also be defending key ports against a potential future Chinese blockade, which analysts have long predicted would be a first step in any military aggression by Beijing.

In May, China initiated its largest encircling and blockade drills aimed at Taiwan to date. In addition to many aircraft groupings, about a dozen PLA naval ships had surrounded the self-ruled island during that two day exercise, and in response Taiwan’s military deployed warships to monitor the situation and mirror the Chinese vessels.

Air raid sirens go off across Taipei as part of yearly drills aimed at readying people to take shelter if #Taiwan comes under attack. Traffic is halted, streets emptied. For 30 minutes the city mostly comes to a stop. pic.twitter.com/Q8uv4zXtbP

— Staś Butler | 貝德旭 (@stasbutler) July 23, 2024

Both sides are watching closely the political situation in the US, especially given a possible Trump second term could return the US to a focus on China, instead of the current Biden administration’s prioritizing of the Ukraine and Gaza flashpoints.