At 1:30pm on Thursday, sirens wailed across Taipei as the city simulated a missile attack from China. Civilians in the busy Ximen shopping district rushed to underground shelters, with three minutes to reach safety before bunkers were sealed for half an hour. A text message warned: “The enemy has launched a missile attack toward northern Taiwan.”
The annual drills have taken on increased significance as China’s president, Xi Jinping, pursues plans to annex Taiwan by force if intimidation fails. The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have made the exercises feel less hypothetical. This year, the civilian drill was integrated into larger urban resilience exercises alongside Taiwan’s Han Kuang military manoeuvres, which have doubled in length and size.
More than 20,000 reservists were mobilised in the largest ever call-up, and about 52,000 of a planned 4 million people have been trained as disaster relief volunteers, according to deputy interior minister Maa Shyh-yuan. Urban warfare simulations took place on city streets and bridges, including repelling assaults on airports and using newly acquired Himars rocket systems.
Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, has prioritised civilian defence since taking office. “The better prepared Taiwan is for geopolitical shifts and external threats, the safer it will be,” he said on Thursday while inspecting a field hospital simulation. Civil defence expert TH Schee described the shift as “big strategic”, moving away from the previous focus on defeating enemies on the beach.
However, some concerns remain. Many of the estimated 100,000 air raid shelters are underground car parks or basements without adequate ventilation or power. Some participants noted a lack of practical instruction beyond getting underground. “We should be learning this from a young age,” said Mr Chen, 55, at Taipei main station’s shelter.
China has dismissed the drills as “futile” provocations and has increased its incursions into Taiwan’s air defence zone, sending more warplanes and ships near the island.
