Key facts
- Taiwanese troops practiced defending the Danjiang Bridge, a critical chokepoint, during annual war games.
- The drills simulate scenarios for maintaining government operations during wartime.
- The Danjiang Bridge, opened this year, is considered crucial for defending Taipei.
- Soldiers erected defensive barriers on the bridge during a late-night exercise.
- The exercises aim to test Taiwan's ability to repel a potential Chinese invasion.
Taiwanese troops on Thursday practiced defending the Danjiang Bridge, a critical chokepoint that could offer Chinese forces a shortcut to the capital, as annual war games entered their second day. The 10-day Han Kuang exercises, which began on Wednesday, focus on Taiwan's combat readiness against a potential attack from China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own territory.
Soldiers erected barriers, barbed wire defences, and sandbag positions on the Danjiang Bridge, which opened earlier this year and crosses the entrance to the Tamsui River leading to Taipei. Military vehicles drove onto the bridge as soldiers set up defensive positions. While cyclists and pedestrians continued to pass through an unblocked section, the exercise allowed the military to gather data on deploying obstacles to seal the crossing.