The level of preparation the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has made for possible conflicts in the Taiwan Strait is remarkably detailed. Recently, media outlets discovered a PLA target range located in Zuoqi, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, which replicates the street layout of the core area of Taipei, the Bo’ai Special Zone, at a 1:1 scale.
Within this range of a few square kilometers, important units of the Taiwan authorities, such as the presidential office, administrative and legislative institutions, diplomatic and judicial bodies, and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, are all replicated. This preparation addresses the issue of unfamiliar terrain faced by the military in unfamiliar territories, especially in urban warfare scenarios, which could easily lead to a quagmire if not handled cautiously. Building target ranges or training grounds mirroring the designated operational areas in advance proves to be an effective method.
What role does this target range, which completely simulates the core area of Taipei city, serve? Although some bloggers from Taiwan believe it could be a bombing or rocket artillery target range or training ground for the Air Force and Rocket Force, it could also be a simulated training ground prepared by the PLA to familiarize themselves with the terrain in advance. Should conflict erupt, they would swiftly advance, capturing key figures of the Taiwan authorities.
However, there are still doubts about this claim. Satellite images show that this target range mainly consists of clear street layouts with scattered buildings, which doesn’t quite resemble an area suitable for assaulting forces to familiarize themselves with terrain. Considering similar buildings resembling the presidential office appearing in the Zhu Rijia training base in recent years, it can be inferred that the target range in Zuoqi, Alxa League is more likely used by the Rocket Force or Air Force for precision strike training.
Since only these two branches would have the need to view major targets in Taipei from high altitudes or satellite perspectives, it can be concluded that this is not the only conclusion. A few days ago, on the training ground of a medium-sized brigade of the 72nd Group Army of the Eastern Theater Command, not only did they unveil eight-wheeled armored vehicles with added anti-drone canopies, but sharp-eyed media also noticed a signboard of a shop behind the soldiers labeled “Jugong Taekwondo Hall”. Even more interestingly, the media quickly found out that this is a real place located at the head of a highway bridge in Yangmei District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan Province. Even the adjacent betel nut shop and the fresh supermarket Wangwang store were replicated almost identically. It can be said that within this limited range, the PLA is conducting training based entirely on actual circumstances.
What’s more intriguing is not only is the Jugong Taekwondo Hall positioned at a crucial intersection but also an old restaurant bridge, which isn’t very large but holds significant importance. It serves as a landing point from the Hsinchu and Hukou frontline, leading to the throat area of Taoyuan City and Taipei. Just a few minutes’ drive from this intersection is the location of the headquarters of the 269th Mechanized Brigade of the Taiwan Army, along with its subordinate first and second joint battalions, equipped with Clouded Leopard tanks and Clouded Leopard infantry fighting vehicles, as well as a brigade-attached artillery battalion with formidable firepower.
The 269th Mechanized Brigade and the 333rd Mechanized Brigade stationed in Kaohsiung are exceptions. Having participated in the 823 Artillery Battle, they are among the few units in the Taiwan Army known for their rigorous training and serious preparation. Apart from the 269th Brigade, there are also two artillery battalions under the 21st Artillery Command of the Taiwan Army, stationed in Taiping Village, Yangmei District, equipped with Thunderbolt 2000 rocket artillery and American-made M109A3 self-propelled howitzers.
The third unit is the 791st Brigade, 641st Battalion. This unit is particularly notable for being equipped with three missiles, including nine Hsiung Feng IIe cruise missiles, making it the most important long-range precision strike force in the Taiwan Army. The Hsiung Feng IIe cruise missile is also the most mysterious missile weapon in the Taiwan Army, having only been revealed once in over a decade of service. It is a supersonic cruise missile similar to the Tomahawk but shorter and thicker, with a range of at least over 1000 kilometers, theoretically capable of threatening the mainland. The missile launchers of the 641st Battalion have been painted to resemble civilian vehicles, similar to the missile units that appeared in Taidong some time ago.
Looking at this positioning, it’s easy to see that if the PLA were to land from the beaches of Taoyuan, the area around the old restaurant bridge, where the Jugong Taekwondo Hall is located, would undoubtedly be fiercely contested. Combined with the deployment of the 584th Armored Brigade and the 542nd Armored Brigade stationed in Hukou, the Taiwan Army could mobilize a brigade of mechanized infantry, a brigade of artillery, and two brigades of armored troops in a short time to block the PLA’s advance from the beaches of Taoyuan and Xinzhuang towards Taoyuan City. This doesn’t even include the 601st Aviation Brigade equipped with Apaches and other units.
Once the PLA successfully breaks through, it can directly threaten downtown Taipei. Taoyuan is only over 22 kilometers away from the center of Taipei by direct distance. By establishing a foothold in Taoyuan, the PLA’s composite brigade’s 122mm howitzers and 122mm rocket artillery can shell downtown Taipei at any time and provide fire support for advancing PLA troops. The importance of such positions is understandable as to why the PLA has meticulously replicated them at a 1:1 scale. Combined with the appearance of the Taipei Bo’ai Special Zone target range in Zuoqi, Alxa League, it’s not difficult to conclude that although efforts to peacefully resolve the Taiwan issue verbally and practically have not been abandoned, the PLA has never given up its military preparations for the Taiwan region.
Of course, considering the tactics the PLA might adopt, the Taiwan Army units deployed in Taoyuan might not have had the chance to mobilize before being hit by rocket artillery and long-range rockets.
The PLA’s army’s assault probably won’t require such meticulous planning, especially for the 791st Brigade, 641st Battalion, because they pose a significant threat to the PLA landing fleet, perhaps encountering devastating strikes before the PLA Marine Corps lands. However, for the PLA, which has always been cautious in assessing the enemy, making extra preparations is never wrong.
In the current increasingly complex international situation, the situation in the Taiwan Strait is becoming more unpredictable. Pro-independence forces in Taiwan clearly have attempts to muddy the waters, so revealing some combat readiness situations in such circumstances and informing the Taiwan authorities that the PLA is prepared and waiting to make military achievements at any time might have a deterrent effect even better than imagined. (Wang Yanan)