Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has watched live-fire drills with new U.S.-made Abrams M1A2T tanks during annual defense exercises.

Taiwan's annual military exercise, Han Kuang, begins on Wednesday as the island ramps up its defence against a possible invasion from China. Billed as the largest and longest one so far, this year's Han Kuang will last for about 10 days, about twice the duration of last year's drill.

Amped-up drills and new U.S. tanks have added bite to President Lai Ching-te’s Taiwan-is-a-country lecture tour.

Taiwan has conducted its first urban resilience exercise. Residents of three cities practised how to evacuate and seek shelter during an air raid, including while out shopping for groceries.

Taiwan launched its largest ever military drills on Wednesday, starting with simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure ahead of a Chinese invasion, senior defence officials said.

Taiwan's annual military exercise, Han Kuang, kicked off this week as part of the island's defense drills preparing for a hypothetical China invasion; Seoul has returned six North Koreans to their home country,

China claims Taiwan as its own despite Taipei's objections. The United States does not recognize Taiwan's statehood but has political and economic stakes in a peaceful resolution to the decades-long dispute, and is obliged by U.S. law to help Taipei arm itself against a possible attack.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said Wednesday that an urban resilience exercise will be carried out from July 15-18.

In Hsinchu County, President William Lai (賴清德) monitored a live-fire exercise at the Kengzikou Range (坑子口訓練場) involving a platoon of M1A2T tanks purchased from the US. The tanks fired individually, in pairs and as a full platoon. Following the drill, the army said that the tanks had achieved “perfect” accuracy.