Taiwan staged a large-scale live-fire drill on a frontline island near mainland China on Wednesday, hours before President Donald Trump was due to land in Beijing for high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The exercise on Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, simulated a People’s Liberation Army amphibious assault on the coastline.
The coming Xi-Trump summit has triggered renewed anxiety in Taiwan that it could become a bargaining chip in their broader negotiations, after Trump indicated that US arms sales to the island – a major irritant for Beijing – could be on the table.
According to the Taiwanese army’s Kinmen Defence Command, Wednesday’s drill was conducted in the Houhu coastal area, which sits just a few kilometres from the mainland Chinese city of Xiamen.
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Beginning shortly after dawn, the exercise – which included US-made weaponry – simulated enemy amphibious landing operations, with troops deploying artillery, tanks, armoured vehicles and anti-armour weapons to create overlapping fire zones along the shoreline.
Among the highlights was the first live firing of two US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles stationed in Kinmen, which the military has described as part of efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities.
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Units taking part included the Kinmen Garrison Brigade, an artillery battalion, a support battalion and an amphibious reconnaissance platoon.
The exercise also incorporated drones and the Tactical Assault Kit command system for target reconnaissance, battlefield management and real-time information sharing, according to the defence command.