Taiwan’s president evacuated in dead of night to secret command post in armoured car amid biggest ever China war drills

THE president of Taiwan has been practising his escape route amid mounting fears of a possible Chinese invasion. President William Lai sped off in an armoured vehicle in the dead of night as part of ramped-up military drills on the island nation. President Lai was bundled into an armoured truck as part of ten days of military drills Credit: Taiwan Presidential Office The President was escorted to a secret command post Credit: Taiwan Presidential Office The covert operation forms part of the annual “Han Kuang” exercises – ten days of military drills for soldiers and civilians from August 5 to August 15. Dramatic footage shows a phalanx of deadly vehicles bristling with soldiers cruise through the streets of Taiwan. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It is the first time President Lai – who came into power in 2024 – has taken part in escape route “Wan Chun” plans. Hatched during the Cold War, the “Wan Chun” plan plots emergency evacuation for the president in case of an attempted “decapitation” strike from China. Helicopters swarmed through the skies and missile launchers were erected along the shores as soldiers built barricades. It comes after 14 Chinese aircrafts and nine warships circled Taiwan on Wednesday, according to authorities. Beijing has repeatedly threatened to storm the democratically-ruled island which lies southeast of China. Crazed Xi Jinping regards Taiwan as part of his Communist empire. Most read in The Sun The Patriot surface-to-air missile system in Taiwan Credit: Getty A Taiwanese soldier erecting road blockades Credit: EPA Troops build road blockades across Danjiang Bridge in the nation’s biggest ever war drills Credit: EPA A soldier stands guard over a surface to air missile system to simulate a fake Chinese attack Credit: Getty Donald Trump revealed in May that Xi asked him directly if America would intervene in the event of a Chinese invasion. The US President reportedly refused to answer and advised Taiwan not to risk all-out war by demanding independence from China. He said: “We’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles (15,289km) to fight a war. I’m not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down. “We’re not looking to have wars, and if you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be okay with that.” Taiwan’s foreign ministry issued a stern response, announcing that “Taiwan is a sovereign and independent democratic nation, and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China.” China’s more than 2 million-strong army dwarfs Taiwan’s estimated 20,000 soldiers. Despite tensions between Taiwan and the US, the drills have included American techniques for communications and combat. “The most important new development in this years Han Kuang is the incorporation of American-style military training methods” said William Yang, a senior Northeast Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group. Troops complete missile loading operations at an air base in Hsinchu, northern Taiwan Credit: AP Why does China want to invade Taiwan? TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949. But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified – and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing’s control. The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders. Taiwan sits in the so-called “first island chain”, which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington’s foreign policy in the region. This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West. And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China’s enemy if it means keeping its independence. Taiwan’s economy is another factor in China’s desperation to reclaim the land. If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world’s electronics being made in Taiwan. This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy. China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation. A key component of the Han Kuang drills, for example, has been the practice of a method called backbriefing where subordinates explain to commanders how they plan to carry out assigned missions. The US has yet to acknowledge Taiwan as a country but is nonetheless bound by its own laws to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. The two nations have been inching closer to a $14 billion arms sales package to Taiwan – but Trump has yet to give his seal of approval. “Even though Trump and those close to him have flip-flopped on supporting Taiwan, the connection between the two militaries remains strong” claimed Lev Nachman, a political-science professor at National Taiwan University. Comment now