The Taiwanese army has announced that it will conduct defensive maneuvers to simulate the defense of the island in the event of an invasion.

Taiwan will hold military exercises this week with live ammunition to simulate defending the island in the event of a Chinese invasion, officials said, while Beijing conducts new exercises around the island.

“We will train to counter enemy attacks on Taiwan,” Eighth Corps spokesman Lu Wei-chie told AFP.

The Taiwanese military said the island’s forces will train for amphibious landings on Tuesday and Thursday in the Pingtung region in the far south.

According to the same source, hundreds of military personnel and about 40 howitzers will be involved in the exercises.

On Monday, Beijing continued the joint air and naval exercises it launched after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei last week, ignoring calls to end the exercise that has been going on for days around Taiwan.

Lu said the Taiwanese drills were planned and are not a response to ongoing Chinese drills.