The island of Taiwan is holding its annual Han Kuang Exercise, which began Wednesday and will run until July 18. Compared to past years, this year's drills focus more on real-life scenarios and are conducted more openly.

Taiwan's annual military exercise, Han Kuang, begins on Wednesday as the island ramps up its defence against a possible invasion from China. Billed as the largest and longest one so far, this year's Han Kuang will last for about 10 days, about twice the duration of last year's drill.

While it is aimed at readying Taiwan's population for a possible attack, it is also meant to publicly showcase the island's defences and send a clear signal to Beijing. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to "reunify" with it some day,