HUALIEN: Taiwan cancelled some drills in its annual war games as Typhoon Gaemi barrelled towards the island on Tuesday (Jul 23), which is expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds when it makes landfall later this week.
The Han Kuang exercises, which started on Monday, are held every year across Taiwan to train its armed forces as China ramps up military pressure on the democratic island, which Beijing claims as part of its own territory.
But Gaemi – currently categorised as a medium-strength typhoon by the Central Weather Administration – is expected to impact Taiwan beginning on Wednesday, and could make landfall in the island’s northeast.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday at an airbase in eastern Hualien, defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said the military will make “flexible adjustments based on the weather conditions in our exercise missions”.
“At present, the impact of the typhoon is more obvious in the eastern region and we will make some adjustments to some sea and air exercises due to the typhoon situation,” he said.
The Central Weather Administration issued sea and land warnings on Tuesday morning, with Gaemi packing sustained wind speeds of 144kmh as it headed towards the island’s northeastern coast.
Taiwan experiences frequent tropical storms from May to November.
Dressed in military fatigues, President Lai Ching-te on Tuesday looked on as soldiers went through a simulated mass casualty rescue exercise at the Hualien airforce base, where skies remained blue and rain-free.
“All brothers and sisters in the military are important combat forces in safeguarding national security,” he said while in Hualien, according to a statement released by the Presidential Office.
“I hope that we can continue to improve our combat capabilities, not only to reassure the people but also to let the world see our determination to protect the country.”
Lai, who is a staunch defender of Taiwan’s democracy, is regarded as a “dangerous separatist” by China.
Three days after he was sworn into office in May, China launched war games simulating an encirclement of the island as “punishment” for his inauguration speech, which Beijing said was a “confession of Taiwan independence”.
China has said it would never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and maintains a near-daily military presence around the island by sending in warplanes, navy vessels and drones.
