Taiwan cuts short annual war games as Typhoon Gaemi heads toward island

HUALIEN, Taiwan (Reuters) – Taiwan called off its annual Han Kuang war games on Tuesday as Typhoon Gaemi bore down on the island, expected to bring strong winds and torrential rain.

Gaemi, the first typhoon of the season to hit Taiwan, is expected to make landfall on the northeast coast sometime between Wednesday night and the early hours of Thursday, according to the island’s Central Meteorological Administration.

The typhoon is currently classified as moderate in Taiwan. It is expected to cross the Taiwan Strait and reach the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian in the early hours of Friday morning.

Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercises, which are taking place this week, have been restricted. Among other things, fighter jet exercises on the east coast have been cancelled, the Ministry of Defense said.

“The impact of the typhoon on the east coast is quite clear at present,” ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told reporters at Hualien Air Base. “Therefore, we will adjust some air and naval units to the typhoon situation.”

Gaemi passed over the eastern Philippines but did not reach the mainland, but still brought heavy rains.

While typhoons can be extremely destructive, Taiwan also relies on them to replenish water reserves after the traditionally drier winter months, particularly in the southern part of the island.

(Reporting by Walid Berrazeg; additional reporting by Neil Jerome Morales in Manila; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)