US focuses on Iran, Taiwan prepares for the worst? Xi's potential target stages major drill

Is Taiwan preparing for a future war as China, North Korea and Russia appear to be drawing closer together? On June 9, Taiwan staged a major coastal live-fire exercise simulating the defence of the island against a large-scale Chinese amphibious invasion. The drills took place at a striking moment, coinciding with Chinese President Xi Jinping's rare visit to North Korea, where he met Kim Jong Un to discuss deeper cooperation between Beijing and Pyongyang. Taiwan's military fired rockets and artillery along key stretches of coastline facing mainland China, rehearsing how its forces would respond if Chinese troops attempted to establish beachheads on the island. The exercise stretched across 20 kilometres of Taiwan's western coast, an area widely viewed as one of the most likely invasion routes in the event of a conflict. A major highlight of the drills was the return of the Thunderbolt-2000 multiple-launch rocket system. Taiwan conducted the system's first operational live-fire exercise in seven years, showcasing a weapon designed to strike landing forces and disrupt amphibious assault operations before they can gain momentum. The exercises also reflected a broader transformation in Taiwan's military thinking. Rather than relying on scripted training scenarios, Taiwanese forces are increasingly training under conditions intended to replicate the confusion, uncertainty and pressure of actual combat. Military commanders said troops were forced to adapt to changing terrain, weather and deployment conditions similar to those expected during a real war. The timing of the drills has drawn additional attention because they occurred as Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un reaffirmed closer ties in Pyongyang. Some analysts believe Taiwan is paying close attention to the possibility of a wider regional crisis in which China, North Korea and Russia could place additional pressure on the United States and its allies during a Taiwan Strait confrontation.