PENGHU, Taiwan — Taiwan's military simulated repelling an air landing assault on the strategically important Penghu Islands on Sunday, Aug. 10, as part of the nation's 10-day Han Kuang war games, which began last week.
Later Sunday in central Taiwan, the government will deliberately reduce mobile internet speeds — the first time such a measure has been incorporated into the civil defense component of the annual drills.
Troops from the First Theatre Command engaged targets on a Penghu beach during pre-dawn hours, using M60A3 tanks, artillery pieces and anti-aircraft guns. The military described the operation as a "multi-layered" defense against a simulated rapid coastal landing.
The Penghu Islands sit in the Taiwan Strait, closer to Taiwan's main island than to China. Taiwanese strategists consider them a potential early target for Beijing, which could use the islands as a base for missile and drone attacks against Taiwan.
Reservists from Penghu took part in Sunday's exercise as part of a 14-day training program designed to integrate reserve forces more effectively into Taiwan's operational planning.
The mobile internet throttling aims to test how citizens would communicate if bandwidth becomes limited during emergencies, including natural disasters or a Chinese invasion. Essential services — including ATMs, traffic signals and emergency ambulance calls — will not be affected. Landline and fixed internet services will also remain operational.
The government publicized the drill in advance, sending a text message alert to mobile phones across Taiwan on Aug. 7 in both Chinese and English, and posting a video message on social media over the weekend.
Northern Taiwan, including the capital, Taipei, is scheduled to undergo the same mobile internet exercise on Aug. 13.
China considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory and has threatened to seize the island by force. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, maintaining that only the island's people can determine their future.
