Taiwan’s armed forces will test their capacity to defend the island against a simulated mainland Chinese attack that combines two aircraft carrier groups and an amphibious assault ship, officials said on Monday.

Beijing would probably use the Hainan, an amphibious assault ship commissioned last week, as a key combat unit in any attack on Taiwan, lawmakers were told. Briefing the legislators was Chen Ming-tong, head of Taiwan’s intelligence agency, the National Security Bureau, and Lee Shih-chiang, the head of strategic planning in Taiwan’s defense ministry.

Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military exercise began last Friday and continues until April 30. The drills include computer simulations of defense tactics to handle an attack from two mainland Chinese aircraft carriers groups and two amphibious groups, other senior officials said.

Scenarios would include the Chinese People’s Liberation Army warships breaking through Taiwan’s first defense line, encircling the island and attacking it with ship-borne helicopters, they said.

The goal of Taiwan’s forces is to damage at least two of the carriers or amphibious ships, forcing the PLA to rethink its attack, they said.

The Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, was spotted recently in the South China Sea after conducting an exercise in waters east of Taiwan. China’s second carrier, the Shandong, was commissioned in December 2019.

Chen noted that the Chinese destroyer Hainan and two other newly commissioned warships are stationed in the southern naval base in Sanya, Hainan Island, heightening tensions in the South China Sea.

Lee told legislators that Taiwan has adequate weapons to counter a mainland invasion. He declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality.

Taiwanese armed forces conducted a seasonal firing exercise on Sunday at Pratas Island, administered by Taiwan in the South China Sea. Another drill will be held later this week, Taiwanese media reported.

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