Sirens wail, cities shut down as Taiwan simulates Chinese air raid

By Fabian Hamacher and Ann Wang

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Sirens wailed, roads emptied and people were ordered to stay indoors in Taiwan's capital Taipei on Thursday during an annual air-raid exercise aimed at preparing for any Chinese missile attack.

Sirens sounded at 1:30 p.m. (0530 GMT) for the mandatory street evacuation drills, which effectively shut towns and cities across northern Taiwan for 30 minutes.

An alert, asking people to evacuate to safety immediately, was sent via phone text message by the defence ministry.

"Air Defence Drill. Missile attack. Seek immediate shelter," it read in Chinese and English, accompanied by a shrill alarm.

Taiwan authorities this month updated instructions on what people should do when air-raid alerts are issued, including for citizens who are not able to get into shelters in time or for those who are driving a car.

China, whose government views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory over the island's rejection, has ramped up its military pressure over the past five years, including almost daily fighter jet flights into the skies around the island.

In the past 24 hours, 58 Chinese military planes including fighter jets were detected around Taiwan, its defence ministry said. Among them, 45 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, an unofficial buffer zone.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, who China reviles as a "separatist", rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan's people can decide their future. He has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

During the drill, police in Taipei directed vehicles to move to the side of roads and people already not inside were told to seek shelter. Some shops and restaurants pulled down shutters and turned off lights - steps aimed at reducing the risk of becoming a target in the event of a night-time attack.

Sirens sounded 30 minutes later to give the all-clear.

The civil defence drills are taking place at the same time as Taiwan's largest ever military drills, which simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure, as well as China's grey zone tactics including military incursions and a disinformation campaign designed to test Taiwan's response.

(Reporting by Fabian Hamacher and Ann Wang; Writing by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)