AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
We start this hour in Taiwan, where the island's annual military exercise is underway. The 10-day drill is one of the largest in Taiwan's history and is designed to bolster the island's defenses against a possible invasion from China. As Jan Camenzind Broomby reports from the capital, Taipei, the exercise also includes new weapons systems provided by the U.S.
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JAN CAMENZIND BROOMBY: It was at a school in western Taiwan that this year's Han Kuang drills began. In the rooms where toddlers usually learn their ABCs, rifles and military equipment litter the floor.
The corridors may be empty of students, but there's a different class taking place. Reservists have been invited, kitted out with uniforms and guns, and are being shown how to use them.
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CAMENZIND BROOMBY: But it's not just soldiers that are involved. Customers at this supermarket were surprised when, in a simulation, a shop worker announced a missile had struck northern Taipei.
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CAMENZIND BROOMBY: And elderly shoppers were rushed to the basement. It's part of Taiwan's new focus on whole society resilience, as supermarket representative Liu Hongzheng explains.
LIU HONGZHENG: (Through interpreter) The government wants civilians in their daily lives to be ready in case there is war. This drill is an air raid exercise.
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CAMENZIND BROOMBY: Beijing, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, has described the exercises as a bluff. China has always maintained Taiwan will be unified with the Chinese mainland by force, if necessary. Death threats that Taiwan legislator Michelle Lin is familiar with.
MICHELLE LIN: (Through interpreter) No matter what we do or don't do, if someone wants to attack you, they will invade you. So this time, we comprehensively trained all of these together, conducting exercises that cover everything.
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CAMENZIND BROOMBY: New weapons are also being tested, chiefly HIMAR missile systems and Abrams tanks, both imported from the United States. For legislator Lin, a symbol of cooperation between Taipei and Washington, but also a reminder. The Trump administration has put increasing pressure on Taiwan to pay more for its own defense.
LIN: (Through interpreter) On one hand, we buy weapons from the U.S. for our defense. On the other hand, the U.S. has always hoped that we can improve our capabilities in developing our own indigenous defense weapons.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: As the exercises continue, they therefore serve as a signal, not only to China but also to Washington, that Taiwan is willing to invest in its own security. And for Taiwanese society, the Han Kuang are a wake-up call and a message that the risk of conflict is increasing, and when it comes, society will need to be ready.
For NPR News, this is Jan Camenzind Broomby in Taipei. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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