Taipei, May 24 (CNA) The ROC Army Sixth Corps conducted a live-fire exercise on Tamsui River in suburban Taipei on Wednesday, testing the military's defense capability against a simulated attack by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).
During the drill, the Sixth Corps Guandu Area Command, which is responsible for the defense of the river, demonstrated their combat skills against a PLA invasion, the military said.
Noting that Tamsui River is a gateway to the Greater Taipei area, the Command said the drill simulated a breach of the river by PLA forces, who then occupied major facilities in greater Taipei.
In response, army forces were directed to deter the enemy forces based on intelligence obtained from various military, police and investigation units and were able to repel the PLA, the Command said.
ROC troops on CM11 battle tanks fired TOW missiles and 20 mm cannons at the enemy on the river, and the exercise ended with the enemy forces surrendering, the military said.
The drill was part of the second stage of this year's Han Kuang series of military exercises, which started Monday and will last until Friday.
As in previous years, the 33rd annual Han Kuang drills are divided into two parts -- computer-simulated war games and live-fire exercises.
The computer war games began on May 1 and concluded on May 5, and were followed by the live-fire drills which involve all three branches of the military -- Army, Navy and Air Force --to test their coordinated response to simulated threats from China and their combat capabilities, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
Two live-fire drills are scheduled for Thursday, including one on the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, simulating an amphibious landing there by the PLA forces, while the ROC armed forces undertake a joint operation to repel them and retake the area.
President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to observe the drill on Penghu.
A simulation in which the Taiwan forces fend off a blitzkrieg attack by PLA forces on Ching Chuan Kang Air Base will be conducted on May 26, according to the ministry.
