Taiwan military drill a 'bravado show', defense ministry says

The Defense Ministry on Wednesday reiterated its firm opposition to any form of military collusion between the United States and China's Taiwan region.

Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang made the comments at a news conference in Beijing in response to reports that the US had dispatched more than 400 observers, including active and retired military officers, to the Han Kuang 41 exercise held this month by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities.

"The Taiwan question is purely an internal affair of China, which brooks no foreign interference," Zhang said.

"We firmly oppose any forms of military collusion between the US and the Taiwan region," he added.

Zhang warned that the DPP authorities risk becoming a disposable tool of foreign powers. "Being a useful fool for external forces will eventually become an abandoned tool," he said, stressing that seeking US support for "Taiwan independence" and attempting to resist reunification by force are doomed to fail.

The 10-day Han Kuang exercise, held from July 9 to 18, lasted twice as long as usual and, for the first time, included simulated scenarios of a mainland attack on Taiwan in 2027, along with drills to test urban defense and resilience.

However, Typhoon Danas affected multiple areas of Taiwan during the exercise period, prompting some residents to request military assistance for disaster relief. According to local media, Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te responded that not everything should rely on the military, which was busy with the Han Kuang drills.

Zhang dismissed the exercises as "just a performance and a show."

"The authorities under Lai are ignoring the suffering of the people in the face of disaster, while being preoccupied with putting on a show of bravado, which will surely be spurned by public opinion," he said.