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.

This year’s live-fire drills will last until July 18 in response to escalating Chinese threats. The exercise will be conducted without a scripted scenario and in a continuous, uninterrupted format, making it the longest Han Kuang drill in history, CNA reported.

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,