Taipei wakes to warplanes overhead as military drill simulates PLA attack

Lawrence Chung, South China Morning Post Taiwan's military sent warplanes into the island's capital early on Tuesday in a drill simulating an air attack by the People's Liberation Army, while a survival handbook was released telling citizens what to do in the event of a bombardment. It comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted the self-ruled island to look at how well prepared it is for a potential attack from mainland China. Beijing - which claims Taiwan as part of its territory - has not ruled out the use of force to take the island under its control and has heaped pressure on President Tsai Ing-wen in a bid to push her to agree to unification talks. People in Taipei were startled by Tuesday's exercise, as warplanes roared overhead from 5am to 7am without warning - with some even fearing a PLA attack was under way since military aircraft are usually only ever seen in the city during parades and special events. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang later told reporters that it was a test of "anti-air combat operation command and troop deployments of joint forces military zones, naval fleets, major air and seaports, bases and field units". He said the responses from all of the military units involved in the drill were "normal". Warplanes sent to test the responses of those units in Taipei included US-made F-16 fighter jets and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, as well as F-CK-1 Ching Kuo Indigenous Defence Fighters, according to military officials. They said other units from across Taiwan - including missile bastions, airbases and naval ports - were also tested in the exercise, which was held in the early morning to avoid disrupting civilian flights. Meanwhile, the defence ministry on Tuesday also released a handbook to help Taiwanese prepare for a potential mainland attack, including information on where to find refuge, supplies and the help they might need to survive. The 28-page Chinese-language handbook has QR codes that people can scan with their smartphones to get directions to bomb shelters and food and water supplies. It also has information on how to keep safe in the event of an air raid, major power and water outages, a serious fire or building collapse, and basic survival skills including what to do if there is a shortage of essential supplies. There is also an emergency hotline for people to call. "The handbook provides information so that citizens can respond in the event of a military crisis and other possible disasters," Liu Tai-yi, of the ministry's All-out Defence Mobilisation unit, said at the same news briefing on Tuesday. Liu said the handbook - which draws on similar guides issued by Sweden and Japan - also covers combat preparedness and has information for reservists on where they should report to if they are mobilised to join the military during wartime. Details such as the locations of shelters, hospitals and shops to buy essentials are to be kept updated based on information from local authorities across Taiwan. Spokesman Sun also said the education ministry and other agencies would work with local schools to incorporate the civil defence concept into textbooks to help prepare students and their families for a possible conflict.