Taiwan Conducts Live-Fire Drills in the South China Sea Amid Chinese Military Pressure

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yoo-jin] Amid escalating military pressure from China towards Taiwan, Taiwan is set to conduct live-fire exercises in the Pratas Islands in the South China Sea, which it effectively controls.

According to Taiwanese media on the 5th, the Taiwan Coast Guard will conduct two live-fire drills in the Pratas Islands on the 5th and 12th of next month.

In addition to live-fire exercises, counterattack drills using Taiwan's domestically developed Hongjun anti-tank rockets will be conducted, assuming a Chinese military landing operation.

To this end, the Coast Guard has issued warnings for areas approximately 14.8 km around and about 3.6 km above the waters surrounding the Pratas Islands.

The Pratas Islands, with an area of only 1.79 km², are located midway between Hainandao, where China's second aircraft carrier Shandong is deployed, and the Bashi Channel.

While about 410 km from Taiwan Island, it is only 260 km from Guangdong Province in China, leading to assessments that if the Chinese military launches a large-scale surprise attack, it would be difficult for Taiwan to defend.

Meanwhile, former Taiwan Chief of Staff Li Ximing recently stated in an interview with Voice of America (VOA) that the Chinese military is modernizing its forces to secure capabilities for an attack on Taiwan by the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army in 2027, emphasizing the need for a response strategy.

He added that while Taiwan is implementing a "hedgehog strategy" to further fortify the island itself by expanding various defense equipment, what Taiwan most needs are asymmetrical forces with lethality, mobility, and precision, such as missile fast attack craft, naval mines, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Earlier, the 73rd Group Army of the Eastern Theater Command conducted amphibious landing exercises off the eastern coast of Fujian Province.

The training involved armored units from the amphibious combined brigade of the 73rd Group Army of the Eastern Theater Command and dozens of Type 05 amphibious armored vehicles developed domestically by China.

Photo by AFP

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.