Taiwan military conducts live fire drills ‘to annihilate enemy on shore’

Taiwan’s armed forces carried out live fire drills on its west coast on Thursday. The maneuvers came ahead of the main annual exercises later this month.

The drills, in a coastal area facing the sensitive Taiwan Strait, simulated fending off an attempted landing by enemy forces, according to the Defense Ministry. Taiwan’s most modern fighter jet the F-16V, Apache attack helicopters, tanks and artillery, which fired live rounds, were involved.

The drills were aimed at improving the military’s effectiveness at “enemy annihilation on the shore” and to “prevail along the coastline” to stop an enemy invasion, the military said.

Taiwan has complained in recent months of repeated Chinese air force patrols near the island. President Tsai Ing-wen has made boosting the defenses a top priority since she first won office in 2016.