Taiwan launches annual war games with simulated attacks against military command
TAIPEI--Taiwan launches its largest ever military drills on Wednesday, starting with simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure ahead of a Chinese invasion, senior defense officials said.
The early stages of the annual Han Kuang exercises will focus on testing how Taiwan's military can decentralize command in the event of a crippling communications attack. Over the next 10 days, the drills will expand to assess Taiwan's combat readiness against a full-scale attempt to seize the island.
'We are learning from the situation in Ukraine in recent years and realistically thinking about what Taiwan might face ... in real combat,' said one senior defense official, highlighting the need to protect command and communication systems.
'Commanders have to think what issues their troops might face and they need to pass them down to their subordinates,' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the operation.
Cyber-attacks and misinformation campaigns are seen by Taiwan as high-intensity 'grey zone' actions that are likely to precede a broader Chinese assault.
The annual Han Kuang exercises will this year mobilise the largest number of reservists, some 22,000, and for the first time feature New High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, made by Lockheed Martin, along with Taiwan-developed Sky Sword surface-to-air missiles.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own and has intensified military pressure around the island over the last five years, including a string of war games.
Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, and any attack on Taiwan could ignite a broader regional war.
As they evolve, the drills will feature 24-hour operations army, naval and air operations to defend Taiwan coasts.
Civil defense elements will also be tested, including the creation of emergency supply stations as well as the use of Taiwan's recently-expanded air-raid shelters.
China's defense ministry said on Tuesday that Taiwan's Han Kuang military exercises were 'nothing but a bluff.'
'No matter what weapons are used, Taiwan can't resist the People's Liberation Army's sharp sword against independence,' ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin was quoted as saying by state broadcaster CCTV.
The Taiwanese senior defense official said they wanted to show China that they faced an unpredictable foe and that any invasion scenario was growing more complex, while showing the international community that Taiwan was determined to defend itself.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te and his government strongly object to China's sovereignty claims, saying it is up to the island's people to decide their future.
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Hashimoto: Trump has a precise goal of reviving the U.S. manufacturing industry. To meet his goal, we promised to invest in U. S. Steel's plant and equipment. We also argued that simply imposing high tariffs on imports was not enough to rehabilitate the industry. I believe that Trump was eventually convinced and changed his mind. The Trump administration's series of actions were not anything special to one country, but taken against the backdrop of a new trend common in the world. It is a trend of governments becoming increasingly involved in the economy and business through industrial policy. Q: Will you elaborate? A: While addressing geopolitical risks such as the U.S.-China confrontation, countries around the world must balance economic growth and the prevention of global warming. Neither companies nor government alone can meet these two formidable challenges. The only way is for the public and private sectors to join forces. 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State-owned manufacturers and other companies have been exporting large quantities of steel that became redundant amid the country's real estate slump at low prices, which is worsening market conditions around the world. Excess production capacity should be reduced, but the government cannot make the decision, considering the impact on tax revenues and employment. Q: Why has Nippon Steel downsized Chinese operations? A: The Chinese government has collected data from state-owned manufacturers and spent public funds on the development of advanced technologies. Last summer, we decided to dissolve an automotive steel sheet joint venture with Baoshan Iron and Steel Co., which is under (the world's largest crude steel producer) China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Q: Amid the ongoing decoupling between the United States and China, Nippon Steel is clearly shifting to the United States. What is the reason? A: In business, we lose unless we keep an eye on international rules and trade rules and stand by those who formulate them. China, which became stronger under the rules created by the United States, is suffering because the United States has changed those rules. When we must choose between the two, it is taken for granted that Japan will side with the United States. We are focusing on the U.S. and Indian markets. With the population projected to increase, demand for steel is expected to grow. As the United States and India are politically opposed to China, their markets are also important because we can avoid negative effects of steel being exported from China at low prices. Q: Nippon Steel promised to invest 1.6 trillion yen in U. S. Steel's plant and equipment, up from the 400 billion yen indicated to the Biden administration. Why was the amount increased? A: To the Biden administration, which valued its relationship with the (steelworkers') union, we only presented (investments) to renovate the mills where its members worked. In the commitment to the Trump administration, we included all the investment projects we originally planned, including those for nonunionized mills. The increased investment was the deciding factor (for Trump's approval). Q: Nippon Steel signed a national security agreement, in which it promised not to cut U. S. Steel's production capacity without Washington's approval, and will also issue a golden share. Won't these impose constraints on the company's management of its subsidiary? A: There is no disagreement between Nippon Steel, which aims to expand its business, and the Trump administration, which intends to oversee the implementation of the investment. Neither the national security agreement nor the golden share will prevent us from doing what we want to do. Q: Of U. S. Steel's nine directors, Nippon Steel has given the U.S. government the authority to appoint an external director and approve the appointments of two others. Won't this shackle the company's operations in the future? A: Nippon Steel will nominate the remaining six directors, a majority. There is no problem at all. Q: Who proposed issuing the golden share? A: Nippon Steel did. It includes the word 'golden,' a favorite for Trump. It made it easier for him to explain to the American people that he had gained something great. U. S. Steel is one of the companies that have long supported the United States and made it prosper. The United States won World War II on the back of industrial strength represented by companies like U. S. Steel and Ford Motor Co. In deciding whether to approve the acquisition of U. S. Steel, it is only natural that the U.S. government tried to be cautious in the extreme and oversee (the implementation of) the investment. Imagine if Nippon Steel fell into financial difficulties and were about to be purchased by a foreign company. I do not think the Japanese government would make a judgment based solely on economic rationality. Q: Why was Nippon Steel adamant about acquiring all shares in U. S. Steel? A: We need to share cutting-edge technologies with U. S. Steel to rebuild its operations. It was essential to obtain a 100-percent stake to prevent the outflow of technologies. We had informed the Trump administration that we would rescind our buyout bid altogether if Washington did not approve the full ownership. Q: You are often called the 'iron negotiator' for being unafraid of causing friction and willing to take risks. What is your view about risks in business? A: When I was president, Nippon Steel substantially raised prices of automotive steel sheets and acquired a steel mill in India. Some people were opposed, but no matter what you do, there are risks. The biggest risk is that the company will continue to shrink without taking any risks. Companies that can effectively manage risks will be the winners. When I joined Nippon Steel in 1979, the company was the world's top steelmaker and Japan's largest manufacturing company. However, our presence in the industry declined, and we were surpassed in sales by Toyota Motor Corp. As a sales representative dealing with the automaker, I concluded that Nippon Steel was overtaken because automakers had taken on challenges overseas. 'Shrinking equilibrium' is a source of misguided thinking. If you just shrink, you will never reach a state of balance. Shrinking will deteriorate human resources, reduce vitality and result in further downsizing. A company will fail unless it takes risks to grow. Q: Nippon Steel was not always willing to take risks. What changed the company? A: The circumstances happened to be favorable. The cost of raw materials was low due to deflation, and we were able to secure manpower without raising wages because there were plenty of workers. Interest rates were low and even below 0 percent for some time. Now everything has been reversed. Prices have risen and workers are in short supply. Interest rates have also risen, albeit slightly. We have no other choice but to try to grow. Q: At a news conference following the acquisition of U. S. Steel, you promised a resurgence of Nippon Steel. What is your vision, including for its domestic business? A: The expansion of overseas operations and the maintenance of domestic operations are indispensable to each other, like the two wheels of a cart. Although domestic demand will decrease, we will maintain manufacturing bases in Japan by becoming the overwhelming top player, and develop technologies, including those for decarbonization. We will further increase the weight of high-end products that cannot be made in China and reduce costs by renovating facilities. The money required for this cannot be earned in Japan alone. We will expand overseas business and increase profits, which will be returned to Japan. Nippon Steel constructed many plants until around the time it became the world's leading steelmaker. However, no new mills have been built since the 1970s, and none of us has experience. Nippon Steel will build a new mill in the United States. We can develop human resources by dispatching people overseas and giving them opportunities. (This article is based on an interview by Seisaku Yamamoto.) * * * Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1955, Eiji Hashimoto joined Nippon Steel Corp. in 1979, before its merger with Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. in 2012. He worked mainly in sales and also handled exports and overseas business. Hashimoto became president in 2019 and has served as chairman and chief executive officer since 2024.
