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On islands key to Taiwan's defense, troops prepare for a Chinese first strike
Taipei is expanding drills, drones and missile deployments as officials say 110,000 residents are being trained for wartime resilience.
- Taiwan deployed Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles to Penghu on Friday, August 28, 2026, and established the islands' first drone force in July to counter potential Chinese amphibious landings.
- Located about 50 km off Taiwan's southwest coast, the 90-island Penghu cluster serves as a critical frontline that military experts warn Beijing would target first in any invasion attempt.
- During Han Kuang exercises on August 10, troops practiced repelling landings with tanks and artillery, while roughly 1,200 residents completed the government's "whole-of-society defense resilience" program for emergency support.
- Huxi township chief Chen Chen-chung advises residents to maintain more than half a month's supplies, while taxi driver William Chen pledges, "If my homeland were invaded, there's no way I could just stand by."
- PLA planners suggested they could "strategically suppress" Taiwan by occupying Penghu, yet Ian Easton of the U.S. Naval War College argues the islands are a "tough nut to crack" for any invading force.
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On islands key to Taiwan's defense, troops prepare for a Chinese first strike
In the pre-dawn darkness on an island in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese troops earlier this month pulled long, gleaming 105mm shells from their green plastic canisters. After all the ammunition had been checked and safely loaded through hatches on four tanks, troops waited silently for the order to fire.
·London, United Kingdom
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Total News Sources4
Leaning Left0Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Center
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources are Center
75% Center
C 75%
R 25%
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