Taipei Conducts Air Raid Drill to Brace Against Potential Chinese Attack
Morning sirens halt Taipei in a rehearsal for a Chinese attack
At 1:30 pm Taipei’s 2.5 million residents paused for half an hour as air‑raid sirens rang across the capital. Police halted motorbikes, cars and buses, directing people into underground shelters, basements and subway stations.
Urban drills reflect a looming threat
- Police batons and barricades stopped traffic on roads.
- Some office buildings became temporary shelters during the exercise.
- Tracy Herr, 50, described how many people settled in a subway station after hearing the siren.
- Herr noted that some Taiwanese citizens had “lived comfortably for too long” and were not taking the drill seriously.
Simulating wartime logistics and mass‑casualty events
During the exercise, dozens of participants lined up at three distribution points to receive food aid, including rice, cooking oil and salt.
Presidential stance on national defence
President Lai Ching‑te said the drills “allow our country to further enhance its ability to defend itself.” He added that the exercises were “not intended to provoke,” yet Taiwan’s ongoing threats “mean we have no choice but to stay fully prepared.”
Showing the world Taiwan’s readiness for war
Combining military manoeuvres with civilian city streets
- Taiwan expanded its “Han Kuang” 10‑day military drills to include the largest mobilisation of reservists and regular troops.
- Troops practiced fighting invading forces not only on the island’s shores but also in dense city streets.
- Heavy‑armed units carrying U.S. anti‑aircraft Stinger missiles stormed Taipei’s metro system during a night‑time exercise.
Public participation in simulations
Shoppers in a Taipei supermarket became unwitting participants as soldiers simulated a Chinese missile strike on the city. Yang Shu‑ting, 70, said he “didn’t know there was going to be a drill” and felt “the point is to let you know where you should hide if something happens.”
Testing “grey zone” harassment and precision strikes
Defence officials highlighted that troops simulated tactics that fall short of an act of war, including “grey zone harassment” and “long‑range precision strikes.”
Urban challenges for armoured vehicles
- Several minor collisions involving military vehicles underscored the difficulty of manoeuvring through narrow streets.
- Chieh Chung, a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight in Taipei, explained that “many roads and bridges create significant limitations for armoured vehicles” and that this became a problem for both attacking and defending forces.
These demonstrations aim to show Washington and the international community that Taiwan is serious about boosting its defence capability while preparing its population for the realities of modern warfare.
