Taiwan will simulate a Chinese blockade and invasion of the democratic island in its annual military and civil defense drills next week, as Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te warned on Tuesday the island was already facing China's "war without gun smoke."
The annual Han Kuang exercises starting on July 9 will last for 10 days and mobilize more than 22,000 reservists, both unprecedented in length and scale. Taiwan is facing ramped-up military pressure from China, which considers the separately governed island as its own despite Taiwan's strong rejection.
Addressing soldiers in a video ahead of Han Kuang, Lai said in recent years Taiwan has been constantly preparing for a "war without gun smoke" such as Chinese infiltration and disinformation attacks.
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