TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's military fired U.S.-made Javelin missiles for the first time in Kinmen (金門) on Wednesday (May 13), launching the anti-tank weapons during a quarterly live-fire drill on an island just six kilometers from mainland China. The exercise came hours before President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing for a summit where American arms sales to Taiwan may be on the agenda.
The Kinmen Defense Command (金門防衛指揮部) said troops fired two Javelin missiles at simulated Chinese amphibious vehicles during the "Taiwu Exercise" (太武操演), which began at dawn near Houhu (后湖). The drill employed 8-inch howitzers, 155mm cannons and 120mm mortars. M60A3 tanks and CM21 armored vehicles then maneuvered into beach positions to create overlapping fields of fire.
The timing of the drill coincides with Trump's three-day visit to China, where he is scheduled to meet President Xi Jinping (習近平) from Wednesday to Friday. Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday that he would discuss U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with Xi. "President Xi would like us not to, and I'll have that discussion," Trump said.
Such a discussion would break with the Six Assurances (六項保證) issued by President Ronald Reagan's administration in 1982, which included a pledge by the U.S. not to consult Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan. A State Department spokesperson on Tuesday declined to say whether Trump's remarks would violate that commitment, instead reiterating that U.S. policy toward Taiwan "has not changed."
Alex Huang (黃重諺), an adviser to Taiwan's National Security Council (國家安全會議), told a radio program Tuesday that Taiwan was "not at all concerned" about the Trump administration changing its policy. "The State Department and the White House have both made it clear that U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed," Huang said.
The Javelin is a portable anti-tank missile system that can be operated by a two-person team. The weapon has an effective range of 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), reaches its target in 17 seconds and can penetrate 75 centimeters (30 inches) of armor. Its "fire-and-forget" guidance system allows operators to relocate immediately after firing, a key feature for Taiwan's asymmetric defense strategy.
The Kinmen Defense Command said the exercise followed "combat-realistic training" principles, simulating scenarios from gray-zone threats to full-scale enemy landings. Troops practiced "supporting operations," "key area fire suppression," "main defensive zone combat" and "limited objective attacks." The command said it would continue strengthening combat readiness to build deterrence capabilities.
Residents near the drill site reported being awakened by the sound of artillery at around 6 a.m. "The windows were shaking — I thought something big had happened," one resident near Houhu told United Daily News. Another resident said the live-fire sounds were "quite shocking" but added: "With cross-strait tensions these days, having the military train makes people feel more at ease."
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the U.S. commitment to Taiwan, noting the island is "nine thousand five hundred miles" from the United States while China is "just sixty-seven miles" away. Bloomberg analysts warned that Xi could use critical minerals as leverage during the summit, creating what they called a "chilling effect" on future arms sales to Taiwan.
The Taiwan Relations Act (台灣關係法), signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, commits the U.S. to providing Taiwan with defense articles necessary to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability. The Taiwu Exercise is held quarterly; the previous drill took place in March on Lieyu Island (烈嶼), also part of Kinmen County. ◼ (At time of reporting, US$1 equals approximately NT$31.53)