Shortly following China announced the success of its military maneuvers that simulated the encirclement of the island of Taiwan, the latter is conducting military exercises that simulate war scenarios and missile attacks, with the participation of civilians and soldiers.
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Taiwanese military exercises simulated missile strikes and chemical weapons explosions
More than a thousand volunteers participated, Thursday, in Taiwan, in military training operations simulating missile strikes, chemical weapons explosions, and a bloody attack on a metro station, in the wake of Chinese military exercises aimed at putting pressure on the island, in an atmosphere of tension between Beijing and Taipei.
The training took place in the city of Taichung, during which medics were trained to evacuate the wounded on stretchers, and to transport bodies in the form of bags placed in bags.
The planned maneuvers in Taichung usually focus on disasters. However, this year, war scenarios dominated most of the exercises, in which civilians, firefighters, soldiers, and students participated.
In one such scenario, explosions sound, flares fall on an apartment building simulating a missile strike, an attack by “Communist China” is announced over loudspeakers, and fire engines rush to the scene. As sirens sound, excavators and cranes remove imaginary debris.
In another such scenario, a colored gas is released into the air to simulate a chemical attack, during which a team of first responders in rescue suits attend to an unconscious civilian caught in the flames. Meanwhile, television screens broadcast breaking news showing a mock crisis meeting of officials.
Air drills were conducted all over Taiwan last year, and evidence was distributed to local residents preparing for a Chinese invasion. And the last exercises conducted are part of a larger framework.
The Chinese army had organized a three-day military exercise simulating the encirclement of Taiwan, following a meeting held in the United States by the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen with Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
Also read: Reversing expectations 2022: How did China deal with the “American trap” in Taiwan?
Earlier, the Chargé d’Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Xu Xueyuan, said that Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s stop in the United States on her current foreign trip “will have a severe impact on relations between China and the United States.”
McCarthy had intended to follow the example of former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who visited Taiwan in August 2022, angering China, which in response organized extensive maneuvers around the island.
China had mobilized warships, fast missile launchers and combat aircraft for this purpose. The Chinese exercises simulated direct strikes and encirclement of Taiwan.
