Taiwan war games to mimic combat as closely as possible

TAIPEI - Taiwan's annual war games this year will be as close as possible to actual combat, no longer just putting on a show to score points but aiming to simulate real fighting given a rapidly rising "enemy threat" from China, a senior official said.

China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory, has been staging regular exercises around the island for four years to pressure Taipei to accept Beijing's claim of sovereignty, despite Taiwan's strong objections.

Taiwan starts its five-day Han Kuang exercises on July 22.

A senior Taiwanese defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was an urgent need to rethink how the drills were conducted.

"In recent years, the enemy threat has changed rapidly," the official said. "Our defence combat plan must also be revised continuously on a rolling basis, and the urgency of comprehensive combat training is becoming more and more important."

Elements that were mostly for show, like rehearsal drills, have been cancelled, while this year, there will be night-time exercises and, unusually, the capital Taipei will be included too, the official said.

The exercises will be a continuous experience, the official added. "War does not distinguish between night and day."

Things may go wrong, like vehicle breakdowns, and that is fine, the official added. "These are problems that may be faced in actual combat. It's not about scoring points. We want the soldiers to wonder whether this is for real."

China's defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment about the exercises outside of office hours at the weekend. It has previously said it is futile for Taiwan to think it can use arms to prevent "reunification".

Announcing the drills in April, Taiwan's