But amid rising cross-strait tensions, Taiwanese defence officials have said this year’s five-day military drill, which began on Monday and will finish on Friday, will be the largest-ever held and a major departure from previous iterations. Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province of China, has responded to the January election victory of pro-independence President William Lai Ching-teby escalating military exercises around the island.
Facing rising pressure, Taiwan has said this year’s games will aim to be as close as possible to real-life combat, abandoning what critics have labelled as some of the drill’s more theatrical elements.
