AILSA CHANG, HOST:
This week, Taiwan's latest large-scale urban resilience exercises, which are designed to prepare civilians for war, have been taking place. The drills come at a time when China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, increases its pressure on the island. From Taipei, Jan Camenzind Broomby has more.
JAN CAMENZIND BROOMBY, BYLINE: It was the buzz of their phones that gave many residents in Taipei their first warning.
(SOUNDBITE OF CELLPHONE VIBRATING)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: Enemy missile attack; seek shelter immediately, the notification read. Then came the sirens.
(SOUNDBITE OF SIREN WAILING)
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: With that sound, we know that the drills have started. The roads are normally absolutely heaving with people here. They've completely emptied, and we're being directed into a nearby metro station to seek shelter.
It's China's threats towards Taiwan that makes these drills necessary, the authorities say.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: Beijing has long claimed sovereignty over Taipei and in the last year has stepped up its military pressure on the island. They've labeled the drills as a bluff and said Taiwan cannot resist the historical trend of unification with the mainland. But despite the rising tensions, on the day of Taiwan's largest urban resilience exercises, the thoughts of many locals, like student Hung Tzu-yi, were elsewhere.
HUNG TZU-YI: (Through interpreter) I only found out today, so I don't have too many thoughts about it. I have class later, so my school told me to come a bit earlier.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: With the risk of Chinese military aggression ever present in the minds of many Taiwanese, the existential threat on their doorstep sometimes fades into the background. A March survey by a government-affiliated think tank suggested only 33% of those surveyed listed China as Taiwan's greatest threat to national security in the next five years.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: But this year's urban resilience drills are designed to change that. They're being held in conjunction with the island's largest-ever war games called the Han Kuang. And they're part of a broader plan by Taiwanese president William Lai to build up whole of society resilience.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT WILLIAM LAI: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: What does that mean? Preparing not only soldiers, but the entire population for the potential of war.
WEN-TI SUNG: The point for the 2025 exercise is to expand this conception of Taiwan's defense from a all-of-government to a all-of-society endeavor.
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: This is Wen-Ti Sung, nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, a U.S.-based think tank. Across the island, this year's exercises have therefore intruded into people's lives more than ever before.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken).
CAMENZIND BROOMBY: While some schools have been transformed into makeshift hospitals, soldiers and U.S.-imported HIMAR missile systems have been spotted in parks and on street corners. It's a signal to Beijing that Taiwan is preparing to defend itself, but also a reminder to students like Hung Tzu-yi that although China's threat still feels distant, the risk of conflict is rising.
For NPR News, I'm Jan Camenzind Broomby in Taipei. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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