Taiwan Shoots Down Chinese Drone in Its Airspace
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The Taiwanese military shot down a Chinese drone that entered its airspace for on Thursday after the government vowed to take more direct action in responding to incursions, Taiwanese premier Su Tseng-chang said.
The drone was an unidentified Chinese civilian machine that entered Taiwanese airspace “near the outlying Kinmen islands that sit next door to China’s Xiamen city,” according to the Taiwanese government. The country’s military used to only fire warning shots at such incursions into its airspace, but Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen ordered the Armed Forces on Tuesday to take “strong countermeasures” if needed.
Soldiers first fired warning flares and live rounds before shooting down the drone, the Kinmen Defense Command said.
Taiwan had asked China “not to encroach on our doorstep,” but when China ignored them, Taiwan “had no choice but to exercise self-defense and shoot,” Su said, according to Taipei Times. “This is the most appropriate reaction after repeated restraint and warnings.”
“We will never provoke, and we will do the most appropriate thing to protect our land and our people,” he added.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian blamed Taiwan and said shooting down the drone was an “attempt to hype up tensions,” according to the outlet.
Tensions between Taipei and Beijing have been on the rise. A number of prominen U.S. officials visited the island last month despite repeated warnings from China. Taiwan is looking to increase its military budget by 14 percent, a measure considered after China conducted live-fire drills around Taiwan following a visit from a delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
China announced more military drills around Taiwan and a CCP spokesperson threatened to “take resolute and strong measures” after a second delegation, led by Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey, traveled to Taiwan in August.
