Taiwan's newly acquired HIMARS and Abrams tanks would raise the costs of a Chinese amphibious landing, a defense analyst says.

Much like Ukraine’s unexpectedly resilient defence, Taipei wants Beijing to understand that a military conflict would not be as easy, or predictable, as once thought.

Taiwan will simulate a Chinese blockade and invasion of the democratic island in its annual military and civil defence drills next week, as President Lai Ching-te warned on Tuesday the island was already facing China's "war without gun smoke".