Taiwan Conducts Live-fire Drills With Us-made Tanks As President Looks On

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te oversaw nan island’s subject performing live-fire drills pinch U.S.-made Abrams M1A2T tanks Thursday, portion of yearly exercises aimed astatine sharpening its defenses against China.

Lai watched arsenic 4 of nan tanks fired individually, successful pairs, and arsenic a group astatine a testing crushed southbound of Taipei connected nan 2nd time of nan 10-day Han Kuang exercises – Taiwan’s longest ever. The tanks fired connected nan move and from fixed positions, hitting some stationary and moving targets pinch 100% accuracy, according to nan army.

Lai described this year's exercises arsenic "large-scale, realistic combat drills."

"When our subject has greater strength, nan nation, society, and group will beryllium safer. Once our state becomes secure, nan Indo-Pacific region will beryllium much serene and stable," nan president told troops and reporters astatine nan guidelines successful Hsinchu county.

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Taiwan agreed to bargain 108 of nan tanks from nan U.S. for $1.45 cardinal successful a awesome upgrade to nan island’s arsenal training practices, which now see F-16V pitchy fighters, HIMARS rocket defenses and stealthy unmanned vehicles.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, center, inspects a live-fire shooting training successful Hsinchu County, Taiwan, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

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China has threatened to usage unit to bring Taiwan nether its control, harassing nan land federation connected a near-daily ground pinch balloons and subject ships successful adjacent waters.

M1A2T Abrams main conflict tanks are prepared for a subject live-fire shooting training successful Hsinchu County, Taiwan, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Beijing has derided nan warfare exercises arsenic a farce that will person nary effect connected its determination to return complete nan island, whose organization overwhelmingly rejects unification pinch China.

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The U.S. is Taiwan's largest supplier of imported protect weaponry and is bound by rule to see threats to nan land a matter of "major concern," though it remains deliberately unclear whether it would deploy forces to antagonistic a Chinese attack.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.