Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has watched live-fire drills with new U.S.-made Abrams M1A2T tanks during annual defense exercises.

Taiwan's newly acquired HIMARS and Abrams tanks would raise the costs of a Chinese amphibious landing, a defense analyst says.

Taiwan has started the largest-ever edition of its annual military drills, Han Kuang 41. This year's exercise simulates defending against a Chinese invasion in the year 2027.

Taiwan included its first batch of 38 U.S.-purchased M1A2T Abrams tanks in a live-fire exercise at Hsinchu military base on Thursday, as it launched its annual military exercises intended to guard against Chinese threats.

China claims Taiwan as its own despite Taipei's objections. The United States does not recognize Taiwan's statehood but has political and economic stakes in a peaceful resolution to the decades-long dispute, and is obliged by U.S. law to help Taipei arm itself against a possible attack.

Taiwan has commenced its largest-ever military drills, simulating attacks on command systems in anticipation of a potential Chinese invasion. The Han Kuang exercises assess Taiwan's combat readiness,

Taiwan has launched its largest-ever military drills intended to counter Chinese invasion threats. The annual 10-day Han Kuang exercises began on Wednesday and included the use of "gray zone tactics" deployed by China. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said the exercise will draw in the army, navy and air force, backed by 22,000 reservists.