A soldier trains to throw grenade ahead of the Lunar New Year at an army base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, February 6, 2024. — Reuters file picTAIPEI, June 23 — Taiwan’s annual war games this year will be as close as possible to actual combat, no longer just putting on a show to score points but aiming to simulate real fighting given a rapidly rising “enemy threat” from China, a senior official said.
“It’s not about scoring points,” the official said. “We want the soldiers to wonder whether this is for real.”Things may go wrong, like vehicle breakdowns, and that is fine, the official added. “These are problems that may be faced in actual combat.” Announcing the drills in April, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the war games would practice “kill” zones at sea to break a blockade and simulate a scenario where China suddenly turns one of its regular drills around the island into an attack.