FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shots of Chinese national flag, Tian'anmen Rostrum, traffic

Beijing, China - Aug 14, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Senior Colonel Chen Xi, spokesman, Ministry of National Defense:
"The so-called 'Han Kuang exercises' have always been a showy, wasteful charade. This year we see even more clearly Lai Ching-te's cowardly nature of feigning defense while truly planning to flee. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities have also recklessly manufactured war panic, accelerating the transformation of cities into battlefields and pushing the public to the front lines, undermining peace in Taiwan society and harming the safety and well-being of ordinary people. We solemnly warn the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that 'Taiwan secession' is a dead end that cannot be changed, and these exercises will not delivery them any victory. The People's Liberation Army remains ready and prepared, continuously improving its practical combat capabilities against secession and external interference. It has always been a solid safeguard for defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity and for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

FILE: Taipei, Taiwan, China - 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of cityscape, bridge, river

China's Ministry of National Defense on Friday dismissed as a wasteful charade the so-called "Han Kuang exercises" boasted about by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities in Taiwan, underlining that the dead end of 'Taiwan secession' cannot be changed by the exercises.

According to reports, during this year's "Han Kuang 42" exercises, Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te rehearsed a "wartime escape" route, while simulated communications slowdowns and phased internet outages also caused public panic.

"The so-called 'Han Kuang exercises' have always been a showy, wasteful charade. This year we see even more clearly Lai Ching-te's cowardly nature of feigning defense while truly planning to flee. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities have also recklessly manufactured war panic, accelerating the transformation of cities into battlefields and pushing the public to the front lines, undermining peace in Taiwan society and harming the safety and well-being of ordinary people," Defense Ministry Spokesman Chen Xi said at a press briefing in Beijing.

"We solemnly warn the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that 'Taiwan secession' is a dead end that cannot be changed, and these exercises will not delivery them any victory. The People's Liberation Army remains ready and prepared, continuously improving its practical combat capabilities against secession and external interference. It has always been a solid safeguard for defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity and for maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," he said.