Coming Xi-Trump summit has triggered renewed anxiety in Taiwan about becoming a bargaining chip in broader negotiations
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenLawrence Chungin TaipeiPublished: 5:01pm, 13 May 2026Taiwan staged a large-scale live-fire drill on a frontline island near mainland China on Wednesday, hours before President Donald Trump was due to land in Beijing for high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.The exercise on Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, simulated a People’s Liberation Army amphibious assault on the coastline.
Trump calls Chinese leader Xi a ‘tremendous guy’According to the Taiwanese army’s Kinmen Defence Command, Wednesday’s drill was conducted in the Houhu coastal area, which lies just a few kilometres from the mainland Chinese city of Xiamen.
Beginning shortly after dawn, the exercise – which included US-made weaponry – simulated enemy amphibious landing operations, with troops deploying artillery, tanks, armoured vehicles and anti-armour weapons to create overlapping fire zones along the shoreline.
Among the highlights was the first live firing of two US-made Javelin anti-tank missiles stationed in Kinmen, which the military has described as part of efforts to strengthen Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities.
Units taking part included the Kinmen Garrison Brigade, an artillery battalion, a support battalion and an amphibious reconnaissance platoon.
The exercise also incorporated drones and the Tactical Assault Kit command system for target reconnaissance, battlefield management and real-time information sharing, according to the defence command.
