TAIPEI, Dec.19 (China Military News cited from Reuters) - Taiwan will hold live-fire military drills, seen as a sign of defiance against rival China, once every two years instead of annually amid a thaw in relations between the two sides, a defence official said on Friday.

Communist China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek’s KMT fled to Taiwan. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.

Taiwan Annual Han-Kuang Military Exercise in 2007

But China-friendly Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s government has eased tension by signing trade and transit deals with Beijing while avoiding displays of sovereignty over the island.

The live-fire portion of the Han Kuang exercises will skip 2009 and every second year thereafter, the official said. Previous exercises have included live-fire displays and the landing of fighter jets on a section of closed freeway.

“I assume they’re just making friends with China,” said Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief with Defense News. “They’re doing this to placate China.”

Taiwan Annual Han-Kuang Military Exercise in 2007

Cutting back on the exercises would give the military more time to fix problems in areas such as intelligence and support, the official said, rejecting a China connection.

“In order to correct defects and mistakes, we’ve decided to hold the exercise every two years,” he said. “It has nothing to do with politics.”

A series of year-end air defence exercises and the computer-simulated phase of Han Kuang would continue to take place annually, he said.