Taiwan Conducts Exercise to Simulate Repelling Chinese Troops from Its Beaches

Taiwan’s military held a large-scale coastal defense exercise on July 14, simulating a surprise landing by Chinese forces as part of the Han Kuang-41 drills.

As per reports, the operation took place near the shores of Magong City in the Penghu Islands and involved live-fire scenarios to test the island’s readiness to counter a possible amphibious assault by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The exercise featured ambushes from boats, anti-air strikes on key sea targets, and a coordinated use of heavy weaponry. Taiwanese troops deployed FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missiles, M60A3 tanks, CM-21 armored vehicles, and various artillery systems including 155mm and 105mm howitzers, 120mm and 81mm mortars. Coastal defense units also fired M240 machine guns and 40mm automatic grenade launchers.

A Javelin missile, estimated to cost $100,000, reportedly misfired during the drill due to a guidance system failure but later successfully hit a target on a second launch. Lieutenant General Chen Junyuan, commander of the Penghu garrison, ordered all ammunition to be used "to the last shell" until all targets at sea were destroyed.

Taiwan also showcased its domestically developed Hsiung Feng-III anti-ship missiles, which are capable of traveling at Mach 2.1 with terminal sea-skimming maneuvers. These missiles have a range of 150 kilometers and are designed to saturate enemy fleets with salvos of 30 to 50 units.

The coastal exercise is part of a broader 10-day Han Kuang-41 operation that began on July 9. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said the drills this year are the largest ever, involving 22,000 reservists and new weapons systems such as U.S.-made HIMARS rocket launchers and Taiwan's Sky Sword surface-to-air missiles.

Earlier stages of the drills focused on cyber defense and maintaining command capability under communication blackouts. A senior Taiwanese defense official said the military is drawing lessons from Ukraine’s defense against Russia. "We are realistically thinking about what Taiwan might face ... in real combat," the official stated.

Taiwanese authorities believe a real invasion attempt would be preceded by intense cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns, referred to as "grey zone" warfare. The drills aim to simulate such conditions while preparing for a full-scale invasion scenario.

China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has increased pressure on the island in recent years through near-daily military operations and naval patrols. Beijing has not ruled out using force to take control of Taiwan.

In a separate development, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced export restrictions on eight Taiwanese firms, including the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, further escalating economic pressure amid ongoing tensions.

Taiwan’s Han Kuang-41 military exercise, which emphasizes real-time, unscripted scenarios and civil-military coordination, is seen by Beijing as a response to evolving cross-strait dynamics. From the mainland’s perspective, the drills—featuring U.S.-supplied systems like HIMARS and Abrams tanks, and training for “gray zone” threats—reflect a shift toward asymmetric defense strategies. However, Beijing views such moves as limited in changing the overall military balance and warns that increased military activity on the island may raise the risk of misjudgment or escalation. Officials in Beijing maintain that reunification remains a core objective and believe military exercises could complicate peace and stability in the region.