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TAIPEI: Taiwan kicked off its largest military drills Wednesday with regular troops joined by a record mobilization of reservists for 10 days of training aimed at defending against a Chinese invasion.

The annual “Han Kuang” exercises, which are being held at the same time as civilian defense drills, will run from July 9-18 and feature newly delivered US high-tech rocket systems.

The self-ruled island democracy faces the constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

Chinese military pressure has intensified in recent years, with Beijing deploying fighter jets and warships around the island on a near-daily basis.

In the lead-up to the drills Wednesday, Taiwan detected 31 sorties by Chinese military aircraft and seven warships around the island in the 24 hours to 6:00 am (2200 GMT Tuesday), according to the defense ministry.

Taiwan has boosted defense spending and acquired smaller and more nimble weaponry, including drones, to enable its military to wage asymmetric warfare against its more powerful foe.

Twenty-two thousand reservists — the largest ever call-up — are participating in this year’s drills, having begun a training program Saturday.

Reservist training includes familiarization with rifles, squad and platoon machine guns, and tactical maneuvers.

“Because these reservists have been discharged and away for a long time, upon return they need to undergo specialty refresher training,” said an army officer who asked not to be named.

On Wednesday, reservists wearing camouflage uniforms, helmets and boots were put through their paces, practicing cleaning, assembling and aiming 65K2 rifles and machine guns.

Taipei is eager to show the world, especially its key security backer Washington, that it is serious about boosting its military capability.

The drills will “let the international community know that we are determined to defend ourselves, and to pass on to China that the nation’s military has the confidence and ability to defend a free and democratic life,” Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said recently.

This year’s drills have been extended to 10 days and nine nights, from five days and four nights last year.



The Han Kuang began in 1984 when the island was still under martial law.

Troops will simulate various scenarios including “grey zone harassment” — tactics that fall short of an act of war — as well as “long-range precision strikes” to combat a Chinese invasion in 2027, defense officials have said.

Officials in the United States — Taipei’s biggest arms supplier — have previously cited 2027 as a possible timeline for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Recently delivered High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the United States will be used during the drills.

There will also be a separate live fire event involving US-made advanced M1A2 Abrams tanks.

Taiwanese defense officials have been closely monitoring the war in Ukraine and their use of a decentralized command and control structure.

“When we think practically about combat, we consider what kind of scenario Taiwan might face,” a senior defense official said on the eve of the drills.

“Commanders at all levels need to be able to decide what to do based on their understanding of their superior’s intent. This usually requires peacetime training to build up their awareness in this regard.”

The exercises are being held as President Lai Ching-te, who is a staunch defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty, tours the island delivering speeches aimed at “uniting the country.”

China has carried out several large-scale military drills around Taiwan since Lai took office last year, as the island rejects China’s sovereignty stance.

China specialists at risk analysis firm Eurasia Group said Beijing was “likely” to carry out more military exercises at the end of July.

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DAKAR: US President Donald Trump will welcome five African leaders to a White House lunch on Wednesday, with commerce and trade expected to feature prominently among a mixed bag of potential agenda items.

The presidents of Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Gabon — five nations located along Africa’s Atlantic Coast — will convene at Trump’s behest.

Officials from the countries have told AFP that they expect talks to center on trade, investment and security, among other topics as they meet in the executive mansion’s State Dining Room.

But few concrete details have emerged as to the White House’s intentions.

The meeting comes as the Trump administration is focused on tariffs and trade deals, and as it seeks to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals.

But the five nations lack the extreme mineral wealth of other African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The gathering additionally takes place just days after the Trump administration celebrated the formal shuttering of the US foreign aid agency USAID, trumpeting the move as an end to the “charity-based model.”

Officials from the five countries who spoke to AFP seemed keenly aware of the White House ethos.

Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai accepted the invitation with an eye on no longer being “solely (an) aid recipient,” his press secretary Kula Fofana told AFP on Tuesday.

“Our interest is to look more to trade and engagement partners who will invest,” she said.

Gabonese presidential spokesman Theophane Biyoghe said the meeting marked a chance for synergies “centered around the industrialization of our economy.”



US arch rivals China and Russia have made major incursions into the region recently, including substantial investments by Beijing in a number of the countries.

Moscow, meanwhile, has lent support to the region’s newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprised of junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The alliance states share borders with several of the counties at Wednesday’s lunch.

Security and drugs could additionally feature on the White House agenda.

In April, Guinea-Bissau said it had turned over four convicted Latin American drug smugglers to the US DEA drug enforcement authority.

The country is often used as a transit zone for moving cocaine from Latin America to Europe and beyond.

Shortly before leaving for Washington, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo described the visit to the press as “very important” for his country.

“Economically, this is a great opportunity opening for us,” he declared, adding that he hoped his country would also benefit from “the support” the United States provides to other countries.



A number of world leaders have faced brutal political ambushes during White House visits.

Among them are Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who became embroiled in a notorious row with Trump, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

During a visit, Trump showed the South African leader a video of baseless claims of a “white genocide” being committed in his country.

While those episodes happened in front of cameras in the Oval Office, the five African presidents meeting Trump on Wednesday are so far not scheduled to appear before the press.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared few details about the meeting when she told a briefing on Monday only that Trump would “host leaders of five African nations for lunch” in the State Dining Room.

Gabon, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal are among 36 nations that the United States is considering adding to a travel ban barring entry to its territory, according to an internal administration memo last month.