By Ben Blanchard and Yi-Chin Lee
TAIPEI, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Taiwan's armed forces carried out an anti-blockade drill during annual war games, using the navy and coast guard to simulate escorting a merchant ship, the defence ministry said on Thursday, as China steps up its maritime pressure.
Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has long been concerned that Beijing could try to choke off the island with a blockade or quarantine to force it into surrender.
In June, China began holding what it
calls "law enforcement" patrols off Taiwan's east coast, to the anger of Taipei and prompting concern in Washington and some other Western capitals.
In a statement, the ministry said the anti-blockade escort drill used realistic combat-oriented exercises to strengthen cross-agency coordinated response and maritime defence resilience.
The navy worked with coast guard vessels to complete the escort and security protection duties, while a minesweeper cleared a safe navigation channel and guided the simulated merchant vessel to port, it added.
Taiwan's coast guard, which would have an auxiliary role helping the navy in time of war, said the drill took place on Wednesday and the ports the ship was taken to were both on the east coast.
It said it was the first time they had worked with the navy to hold an anti-blockade drill.
The 10-day Han Kuang exercise kicked off last week, rehearsing various scenarios should China ever make good on threats to try to seize the island by force. Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Thursday visited an underground car park at a hospital in Taipei's neighbouring city of New Taipei that had been turned into an emergency ward.
Lai was accompanied by senior foreign diplomats based in Taiwan, including the de facto U.S., Israeli and Canadian ambassadors. Taiwan has been keen to learn from Israel about its civil defence operations.
TAIPEI BRIDGE DRILLS
During a separate part of the exercise on Wednesday night, soldiers erected metal barricades, barbed-wire obstacles and concrete barriers on roads leading to a key Taipei bridge that could expect to be assaulted in any Chinese attack on the capital.
Chieh Chung, a researcher from Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research who was watching the bridge drill, said during a war the military's defensive approach would be to establish a series of obstacle zones extending from the bridge down to pre-designated kill zones.
The objective of the simulation is to prevent the Chinese army from using the bridge to move rapidly into Taipei.
"I believe the military's plans would also include demolishing these bridges, if necessary, ensuring that the People's Liberation Army would not be able to use them to cross the river quickly and continue its advance," Chieh said.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yi-Chin Lee; Additional reporting by Ann Wang in New Taipei; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
