Taiwan prepares for invasion scenario from China

Taiwan's military on Wednesday fired its new HIMARS mobile rocket system, which is widely used by Ukraine, simulating an attack on an invading Chinese force and demonstrating its ability to "shoot and attack" while avoiding counterattacks.

China, which considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory, has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, and its warplanes and warships operate almost daily around the island.

Taiwan tested the Lockheed Martin-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, for the first time last year on the east coast. Wednesday marked the first time the precision-guided weapon was fired on the west coast, in Taichung, central Taiwan.

The military said the exercise was intended to demonstrate the HIMARS's mobility and ability to "shoot and attack," retreating after firing to avoid being blocked by enemy radar - "significantly improving battlefield survivability."

"Our HIMARS demonstrated the unit's strong combat capabilities and successfully completed this exercise," said company commander Ko Ming-pin.

HIMARS is one of Ukraine's main attack systems and has been used several times during the war with Russia.

The beaches and mudflats on Taiwan's west coast, facing China across the Taiwan Strait, are seen as the most likely site for a landing attempt by the Chinese military in the event of any invasion.

Taiwan's military is modernizing to enable it to fight an asymmetric war with more mobile weapons that can still have great power like HIMARS, to transform the island into a "hedgehog" that is difficult to attack and that can survive a Chinese attack.

With a range of about 300 km, HIMARS can hit coastal targets in China's southeastern province of Fujian, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

The weapon will be used with Taiwan's locally developed Thunderbolt-2000 launchers so that Chinese forces can be targeted as they leave port or attempt to land on Taiwan's coast.

Taiwan's government rejects China's claims to sovereignty, saying only the island's people can decide its future.

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