TAIPEI, July 25 (Reuters) – Roads were emptied and people were ordered to stay indoors in parts of Taiwan, including its capital Taipei, on Monday for an airstrike exercise while the island intensifies preparations in case of a Chinese attack.
Sirens sounded at 1:30 p.m. (05:30 GMT) for the mandatory street evacuation drills, which effectively shut down cities in northern Taiwan for 30 minutes.
A “missile alert” was sent via text message, asking people to evacuate immediately to safety.
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“Preparations must be made in case of war,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je said in a speech after overseeing the drills in the exercise called Wan An, which means eternal peace.
China claims that Taiwan was democratically ruled as its territory and has never ruled out taking the island by force. Taiwan rejects China’s claim of sovereignty and pledges to defend itself.
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“Chinese military aircraft have frequently strafed Taiwan in recent years and even with the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine in February, these incidents remind us that we must be vigilant in peacetime,” he said. say Ko
In Taipei, police ordered vehicles to move to the side of the road and passers-by were told to take cover. Shops and restaurants lowered their shutters and turned off their lights to avoid becoming a target in the event of a nighttime attack.
Firefighters practiced putting out a fire caused by a missile attack.
Sirens sounded 30 minutes later to give the all clear.
Concerns about China’s intentions toward Taiwan have added to tensions with the United States, which, while it does not recognize the island as a separate country, is bound by US law to provide it with means to defend themselves.
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Spokesman Zhao Lijian also said at a daily media briefing that the Chinese side will take “strong” measures if the visit continues.
The law requires periodic mock air strikes in Taiwan.
The island has raised its alert level since the Russian invasion of Ukraine although it has not reported any unusual Chinese military activity.
Other parts of Taiwan will hold street evacuation drills this week. The exercise had been canceled for the past two years due to COVID-19.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has made increasing defense capability her top priority and said only her people can decide their future.
“When everyone gets the text message, don’t panic,” Tsai said in a reminder to the public on Facebook early Monday. “Citizens, please evacuate as directed.”
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Reporting by Yimou Lee, Fabian Hamacher and Ann Wang; Editing by Robert Birsel
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.