Taiwan's military flexed its muscle Tuesday with a fleet of attack helicopters and cannons on a beach facing the Chinese mainland, in order to show their determination to fend off any attack.Eight AH-1W attack helicopters and as many OH-58D Scout helicopters were shown on television firing missiles, rockets and guns at targets in a drill simulating an invasion of China on a beach in western Taiwan.
M-109 self-propelled cannons and M-110 eight-inch howitzers, as well as F-16 fighters and Seagull fastboats armed with anti-ship missiles were mobilized in the exercise, which is part of Taiwan's biggest annual manoeuvres codenamed "Han Kuang 20" (Han Glory).
On Thursday last week around 5,000 Taiwanese troops joined exercises on the island's southern coast simulating an attempt to repel a beach landing, by armoured vehicles and around 300 paratroopers.
The exercises came after China News Service said Monday that China had held a military exercise in its southeastern province of Fujian as part of stepped up preparedness for conflict with Taiwan.
More than 3,000 troops took part in the war games.
Large scale joint sea, land and air drills on Dongshan Island, 150 nautical miles west of Taiwan, are also imminent, Hong Kong's pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po had said.
The holding of the drills by Taiwan and China -- still technically at war despite their commencement of civil contacts in 1987 -- has sparked concerns from the United States and calls for restraint.
Since pro-independence President Chen Shui-bian was re-elected in March Beijing has stressed its long-standing vow to take Taiwan by force should the island try to declare formal independence.
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