Latest news with #Chineseinvasion
CNN
4 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Taiwanese TV drama shows what a Chinese invasion could look like
Taiwanese TV drama shows what a Chinese invasion could look like CNN's Will Ripley visited the set of Zero Day, a TV series which dramatizes what it could look like if China were to attack Taiwan, told from a Taiwanese perspective. The show premiered after Taiwan's biggest military drill and civil defense exercise to bolster its preparations for a potential war with China. 00:54 - Source: CNN People fight for scraps of food in Gaza CNN's Nic Robertson reports on the scarce food conditions in Gaza, with children and mothers fighting off starvation as soup kitchens face shortages. 01:46 - Source: CNN 18 people dead after Peru bus accident At least 18 people have died and 24 were injured after a bus overturned in the Province of Junín, in Central Peru. The cause of the accident is still being investigated. 00:28 - Source: CNN Rare snow leopard baby born at UK zoo Video released by Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom shows a rare snow leopard cub taking its first steps. The baby was the first of its kind born at the facility in its 94-year history. Snow leopards are currently listed as 'vulnerable' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. 01:14 - Source: CNN Trump tells Israel to 'finish the job' against Hamas 00:41 - Source: CNN Desperate fishermen risk their lives to get food in Gaza Israel reissued a warning prohibiting anyone from entering Gaza's sea, but hunger drives desperate people to fish. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports. 02:08 - Source: CNN 'The level of destruction is enormous': Says Cardinal about Gaza Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, recently toured Gaza after what Israel says was stray ammunition that struck Gaza's only Catholic church, killing three people. He recounts what he witnessed with CNN's Erin Burnett. 01:17 - Source: CNN Why are Thailand and Cambodia fighting? Tensions are rising between Thailand and Cambodia over a border dispute that dates back to 1907. CNN's Will Ripley explains how the conflict has escalated. 01:32 - Source: CNN CNN reports from Gaza aid crossing CNN's Nic Robertson is on the scene at the Kerem Shalom border crossing as aid agencies warn of rampant hunger caused by Israel's blockade of Gaza. Gaza's health ministry said on Tuesday that 900,000 children are going hungry, and 70,000 already show signs of malnutrition. Israel denies it is at fault and accuses Hamas of 'engineering' food shortages. 01:39 - Source: CNN Reopening the ancient tunnels 75 feet under Rome CNN's Ben Wedeman was given an exclusive tour of ancient tunnels underneath Rome's Capitoline Hill. The tunnels, which archeologists say were once filled with ancient Roman shops and taverns, are set to open to the public in late 2026 or early 2027. 02:02 - Source: CNN Ukraine sees first major anti-government protests since start of war Hundreds took to the streets after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a new law limiting the autonomy of anti-corruption agencies in his government. 01:03 - Source: CNN Peruvian police use superhero disguise during drug raid An agent in the Peruvian police force disguised themselves as the Mexican superhero character El Chapulín Colorado during a drug raid in the nation's capital of Lima. Police said six members of a criminal gang were captured and that cocaine paste, marijuana, cell phones, and money were seized. 00:38 - Source: CNN Distressing images show starvation in Gaza Distressing video footage shows a 41-year-old man in Gaza who died of starvation as humanitarian organizations urge for Israel to end its blockade of the enclave. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports. 01:57 - Source: CNN Small Irish town confronts its dark past Excavations of the remains of nearly 800 babies have begun at a former so-called mother and baby home in Tuam, Ireland. At least 9,000 infants and children died in more than a dozen of these institutions over the course of eight decades. 02:11 - Source: CNN Fire tornado rips through Turkish forest Turkey's forestry ministry has released video of a fire tornado tearing through the country's woodland. Hundreds of wildfires have gripped Turkey this summer, as well as Greece and other Mediterranean countries. 00:33 - Source: CNN Concerns grow over Australia's toxic algae bloom A harmful algae bloom off the coast of South Australia, caused by high sea temperatures and runoff from flooding, is poisoning marine life and depleting oxygen in the water. The Australian government has stated that there is little that can be done to reverse the rapid rate of the climate crisis. 01:10 - Source: CNN International visitors to US will pay new fee CNN's Richard Quest explains how the Trump administration enacted a bill that will require international visitors to pay a new 'visa integrity fee' of $250 dollars. The fee will apply to all visitors who are required to obtain nonimmigrant visas to enter the US. 01:36 - Source: CNN Mexico City residents furious over gentrification Mexico City saw its second anti-gentrification protest in less than a month on Sunday with demonstrators furious over rising prices in the city and the record number of foreigners applying for a resident visa. The main nationality of those foreigners seeking to move legally to the nation's capital? The United States of America. 01:11 - Source: CNN Child flees Israeli strike on Gaza refugee camp Video shows a child running away as Israeli munitions struck near a UNRWA school in Bureij Refugee Camp behind her. 00:36 - Source: CNN China cracks down on fake "Lafufu" Labubus Fake Labubu plush toys, dubbed "Lafufu," have gained popularity due to shortages of the original dolls made by China's Pop Mart. 02:05 - Source: CNN Jair Bolsonaro denies coup charges as police raid home Police in Brazil raided the home of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and enforced a ruling from the country's Supreme Court that Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle tag. Bolsonaro is being accused of plotting to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election. 01:17 - Source: CNN Taiwan conducts 10-day military drill The Taiwanese government is preparing for a war they hope will never happen. For the first time this year, Taiwan combined two major civil defense exercises, with the drills lasting ten days. These drills have included urban combat, mass casualty simulations, emergency supply drops and cyber defense that could be enacted if an invasion was to occur. CNN's Senior International Correspondent, Will Ripley, reports. 01:44 - Source: CNN Deadly flooding grips South Korea for days South Korea has been ravaged for days by intense flooding that's left more than a dozen people dead. Reuters reported more than 16 inches of rain fell in one area in just 24 hours, citing the country's Interior and Safety Ministry. 00:48 - Source: CNN Brazil's Lula tells Christiane Amanpour: Trump 'Was not elected to be emperor of the world' Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva tells CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview it was 'a surprise' to see President Donald Trump's letter posted to Truth Social, threatening Brazil with a crippling tariff of 50% starting August 1st. Lula says that he initially thought the letter was 'fake news.' Watch the full 'Amanpour' interview on CNN. 01:33 - Source: CNN Gaza's only Catholic church hit by Israeli strike Gaza's only Catholic church was struck by an Israeli tank, killing three and injuring many more, church officials said. It became internationally recognized after reports emerged that the late Pope Francis used to call the church daily. CNN's Nada Bashir reports 00:53 - Source: CNN Prince Harry recreates his mother's historic landmine walk Following in his mother's footsteps, Prince Harry visited Angola's minefields just as Princess Diana did 28 years ago. The Duke of Sussex was in Angola with The Halo Trust as part of the group's efforts to clear landmines. 00:39 - Source: CNN Massive fire destroys Tomorrowland's main stage Tomorrowland's main stage went up in flames just days ahead of the festival's opening in Boom, Belgium. 00:38 - Source: CNN How Trump's image is changing inside Russia Once hailed as a pro-Kremlin figure, President Donald Trump's image is changing inside Russia. It comes after Trump vowed further sanctions on the country if a peace agreement with Ukraine is not reached in 50 days. CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent is on the ground in Moscow with the analysis. 01:41 - Source: CNN Who are the armed groups clashing in Syria? Dozens were killed in Syria this week after clashes between government loyalists and Druze militias in the southern city of Suwayda, prompting Syrian forces to intervene. That, in turn, triggered renewed Israeli airstrikes. 01:57 - Source: CNN Syrian anchor takes cover from airstrike live on TV An airstrike on the Syrian Ministry of Defense was captured live on Syria TV, forcing the anchor to take cover. Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Syria as part of its commitment to protect the Druze, an Arab minority at the center of clashes with government loyalists. 00:30 - Source: CNN
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Inside Taiwan's largest ever military drill - and why it sends China a clear message
Dawn is yet to break in Taipei as two dozen armed troops take their positions inside the city's Songshan Airport. They are practising an assault drill that will help them to learn how to secure an airfield in the event of a possible Chinese invasion. Elsewhere in the city, heavy tanks and military vehicles roll down the streets and soldiers build up blocks on a bridge connecting Taiwan's capital with New Taipei – a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. In a park, cyclists whistle past Patriot anti-missile defence systems. Wu Huan Chung, 19, says she was in the PX Mart supermarket when she saw civil defence groups and local officials – who also play a part in military drills – prepare an elderly man for war. 'They played out a scenario where a man, likely in his 50s, was worried about a limited supply of food at his house if he didn't stock up on supplies. He told this to the store manager,' Chung tells The Independent over a video call from Taipei. 'The staff member then explained to him in a calm voice that the supermarket is storing large quantities of food in the supermarket basement for an extreme scenario and that they are fully prepared,' she says. Chung, a sociology student who has lived in Taipei for more than a year, says that staff members at the store were taught basic breathing exercises, evacuation drills for an air raid alert and methods to calm down a panicked crowd. 'From night to day, without pause – this is #HanKuang41,' the defence ministry announced as the annual Han Kuang exercises kicked off on 9 July. More than 22,000 reservists took part over 10 days - a mobilisation unprecedented in both length and scale. A day earlier, Lai Ching Te, the president of the self-governed democracy who China has branded a 'separatist', swapped his fitted suit for olive green military uniform of the Taiwanese defence forces as he observed amphibious landings being practised by the country's troops. These would be needed in the event of Chinese naval aggression in Taiwan 's coastal areas. 'On the ground today to observe the ongoing #HanKuang exercises. To strengthen #Taiwan's defences against amphibious landings, our troops are utilising the latest technologies & weapons systems in tight coordination – boosting deterrence with increased agility & mobility,' Lai wrote in a post on X. Taiwan is facing a rising military threat from Beijing, which considers the separately governed island as its own despite Taipei's strong rejection. China's leader Xi Jinping has vowed to 'reunite' the island with the mainland by force if necessary. The drills included fortifying ports and possible Chinese landing points on the island, which lies 160km (100 miles) off the Chinese coast. Taiwan's military and navy are practising how to counter Beijing's 'grey zone tactics', which stop just short of open warfare but aim to weaken an enemy over a long period. They are using weapons recently delivered by the US, including Abram M1A2T tanks, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and waterborne drones. The ten-day annual exercise is the most intense in Taiwan's history. It is hoped that it will be the most realistic simulation of how Taiwan would defend against a possible Chinese invasion, which the Pentagon has said could happen in or before 2027. The defence ministry has called on the public to show patience with any disruptions to flights or traffic and not to believe false information distributed about the exercises. Civil defence volunteers say the drills are a welcome change as they help to educate the Taiwanese population against the danger of Chinese military escalation. Yi Chou, a member of WatchOut, an NGO working on generating awareness around an invasion, says she is relieved that the drills have made the Chinese invasion a mainstream national concern. 'We as volunteers have been working on this but only until like a few weeks ago, I began a light-hearted conversation with my family that we should really start preparing. It is not an easy topic in Taiwan, especially if you want to talk with your parents,' she tells The Independent. Instagram and other social media platforms help to keep young people educated, she says, but conversations about preparing for an attack with parents can be difficult. 'If something really happens, questions like 'where should we meet' are an uncomfortable eventuality to prepare for.' She adds: 'Other than that, people are discussing what food and medical aid they are keeping in their emergency bags, which shows that everyone is preparing.' Taiwan is already battling Chinese disinformation attacks, according to lawmakers from President Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which stands for the island's independence. They say the Han Kuang drills are 'unprecedented' in scale and duration. 'We are facing China so we want to be well prepared. The administration knows civil resilience is very important and it represents a crucial component of our national security,' says Fan Yun, member of the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China (Taiwan). 'We are demonstrating to our enemy our determination and ability to defend ourselves with practical actions,' she tells The Independent. 'If our adversary wants to take any extreme action, we want them to know that Taiwan has the ability to protect itself, that we have the resilience to sustain for quite a long time and that the cost will be too big for them to bear.' China has responded to Taiwan's military drills in typically brutal fashion. 'The Han Kuang exercise is nothing but a bluffing and self-deceiving trick by the DPP authorities, attempting to bind the Taiwanese people to the Taiwan independence cart and harm Taiwan for the selfish interests of one party,' Chinese defence ministry spokesperson Col Jiang Bing said at a news conference. 'No matter how they perform or what weapons they use, they cannot resist the PLA's anti-independence sword and the historical trend of the motherland's inevitable reunification,' Col Jiang said. On Thursday alone, China sent 58 PLA aircraft, 9 PLA Navy vessels and one official ship operating around Taiwan in the early hours, in what Taiwan said was 'harassment operations around Taiwan's air and sea domains' to disrupt the Han Kuang exercise under the pretext of so-called 'joint combat readiness patrol'. Though there is debate within China over whether to invade Taiwan, residents on the island are united. The preparation on war footing cuts across party lines: drills involve different municipal authorities, national government agencies and professional emergency responders. 'In Taiwan we say, the colour of your political party's flag does not matter, because a missile has no eyes.'
