Taiwan’s military will train in intercepting warships and dealing with a possible encirclement of the island by China as part of its annual drills in July, the country’s Defence Ministry announced.

The “Han Kuang” (Glory of the Han) drills will last five days in July and will strengthen Taiwan’s ability to intercept China’s naval and amphibious forces, General Lin Wenhuang, the Ministry’s director of operations, said.

Initially, in May, the drills will be held virtually on a computer, while in July they will be followed by tactical exercises with live fire, the Ministry explained.

The scenarios are based on China’s current threats against Taiwan and Beijing’s recent military harassment drills, Lin explained.

Taiwan’s military will prepare to “counter” an encirclement of the island, he added.

The Chinese military held three-day drills around the island earlier in April, reacting to a meeting held in the US by US House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, and Taiwan’s President, Tsai Ing-wen.

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