Pakistan, July 17 -- Sirens rang out across Taiwan's capital Taipei on Thursday as part of a large-scale air-raid drill simulating a potential missile attack from China. The exercise, organized by the defense ministry, brought cities and towns across northern Taiwan to a complete standstill for 30 minutes, urging people to seek immediate shelter.

At exactly 1:30 p.m. local time, emergency alerts were sent via text messages, warning citizens in both Chinese and English. The message read, "Air Defence Drill. Missile attack. Seek immediate shelter," accompanied by a high-pitched alarm. Police guided vehicles off roads while shops and restaurants pulled down shutters and turned off lights.

This year, Taiwan updated its safety instructions f...