Taiwan holds military drill against possible attack from China

Apr 11, 2011, 7:52 GMT

Taipei - Taiwan on Monday kicked off its annual war games to prepare for possible attack from China.

The five-day drill will include military planes taking off from a highway, simulating the aftermath of an attack from the mainland that has destroyed Taiwan airfields.

President Ma Ying-jeou said Taiwan must be prepared for war.

'We are seeking to improve cross-Strait ties and increase exchanges to achieve lasting peace, but we must also prepare for possible peril in time of peace,' Ma told Taiwan's delegation to the seventh Boao Forum for Asia, to be held later this week on China's Hainan Island.

Ma said Taiwan does not want to engage in an arms race with China, and wants to defend itself through peaceful means 'because the military threat mainly comes from China,' he said.

Taiwan and China have been split since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Cross-Strait ties have improved rapidly since Ma came to power in 2008 and took a series of steps to ease tensions, including lifting the ban on air, sea and tourism links and signing a trade agreement with Beijing.

But Taiwan still lives under the threat of attack as Beijing regards the island as its breakaway province and has vowed to recover it by force if peaceful means for reunification are exhausted.

As China continues its rapid military buildup, including overhauling the aircraft carrier Varyag bought from Ukraine which is expected to be launched this year, Taiwan is seeking to buy eight diesel submarines and high-performance 16C/D military jets from the United States.

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