Taiwan's Military Police Practice Defending Capital Taipei

Taiwan’s military police were up all night practicing how to defend the capital city Taipei, part of day seven of the annual Han Kuang exercises.

Transcript

00:00The military says that this bridge is of incredible strategic importance because

00:08it connects Taiwan's capital with its largest city and so that's why the

00:12military is practicing how to hold the line against a simulated enemy attack.

00:17At one o'clock in the morning these streets in Taipei erupt with gunfire and

00:21soldiers and armored vehicles spring into action. They set up barricades of

00:26razor wire and fences to turn the capital into a fortress and on one side of the

00:31road soldiers taking cover taking aim and firing blank rounds. These soldiers are

00:39military police specifically tasked with guarding the capital and key locations

00:44like Taiwan's presidential office and the defense ministry. This bridge the Wan Ban

00:48is one of nine connections between New Taipei and Taipei City. The military police

00:54practice securing these access points annually to make sure that they can do

00:58their part in Taiwan's overall defense strategy. This year Taiwan's annual

01:03Hanguang exercise is the largest in history and aims to raise awareness about

01:08the threat that Taiwan faces. For the next three to four days until the end of

01:13Hanguang on Friday the military will be conducting more of these urban warfare

01:16drills to give the public a sense of what it takes to defend the country but

01:20they're hoping that it doesn't have to get to that point that enemy forces

01:23actually make it to the capital. Fu Ahong and Haimeo Kun in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.