By Anadolu staff
ANKARA (AA) - Taiwan on Tuesday held its "highest level" civilian-led wargame, focusing on a potential Taiwan Strait conflict in 2030, local broadcaster TVBS World reported.
Billed "Taiwan Defense TTX," the wargame was launched at the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation (TSEF), with former generals from the US and Japan in attendance.
Four retired generals from abroad, including former US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen, attended the event.
It also featured nine generals and eight lieutenant generals from Taiwan and abroad.
The exercise aimed to remain rational and professional, free from political influence, and aligned with military realities and international dynamics, said Huang Chieh-cheng, director-general of the Council on Strategic and Wargaming Studies.
By 2030, he asserted, asymmetrical military equipment sold to Taiwan by the US would be operational, while China faced economic growth slowdowns and social stability issues.
He acknowledged that the exercise's scope was limited to beachhead operations due to the civilian think tank's inability to establish a defense ministry-grade Joint Theater Level Simulation (JTLS) wargaming system.
TSEF chairman Huang Huang-hsiung, in his remarks, said that the exercise explored potential actions by the People's Liberation Army against Taiwan, including "Intimidation," "Coercion," "Punishment," and "Invasion."
Admiral (retd.) Lee Hsi-min emphasized that the simulation of US and Japanese government roles did not imply a commitment to military involvement or intentions of forming a "US-Japan-Taiwan anti-China alliance."
Taiwan has charged dozens of current and retired soldiers, and even members of the ruling party, with suspicion of spying on behalf of China in recent months.
Amid cross-Strait tensions, Taipei prosecutors Tuesday indicted at least four former members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party over alleged espionage for China.
Taiwan has in the recent past come down hard on alleged spies for Beijing, besides revoking residential permits of those married in mainland China.
In a related development, Taiwan early Tuesday detected 32 aircraft sorties of Chinese military around the island nation, according to Taipei's Defense Ministry.
The Taiwan Strait median line is a line serving as an unofficial border between Taiwan and mainland China.
China considers Taiwan as its breakaway province, whereas Taipei insists on its independence.