This year’s drills are ten days, twice as long as before. The timing is no accident. Tensions with Beijing remain high. While polls suggest most Taiwanese don’t believe an invasion is imminent, the government is preparing with focus and urgency.

Sirens wailed, roads emptied and people were ordered to stay indoors in Taiwan's capital Taipei on Thursday during an annual air-raid exercise aimed at preparing for any Chinese missile attack.

Taipei prepares its citizens for a possible Chinese invasion by conducting drills where, upon hearing the sirens, civilians have three minutes to find the nearest bunker and hide for half an hour. These urban warfare drills are part of Taiwan's defense strategy amid the high-level tension dividing the two countries.