Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te watched live-fire drills with U.S.-made Abrams M1A2T tanks Thursday, as part of major annual exercises aimed at boosting the island's ability to fend off threats from China.

Taiwan's army on Thursday displayed the fire power of its first U.S.-sourced M1A2T Abrams tanks - a traditional weapon that analysts say will need to be increasingly protected against drones in any future battle given lessons from the Ukraine war.

Taiwan unveiled its new U.S.-sourced M1A2T Abrams tanks, illustrating their capabilities during military exercises aimed at showcasing the island's defense readiness against possible Chinese aggression.

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.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said Wednesday that an urban resilience exercise will be carried out from July 15-18.

Expanded Han Kuang Exercise is simulating a prolonged PLA attack with a ‘scenario-driven, no spoiler’ approach, officials say.