(RoyalPatriot.com )- The online newspaper Taiwan News noted that an incident marked the first time Taipei has used live ammunition to fire warning shots on a Chinese drone.
On Tuesday, a Chinese drone violated the airspace above one of the sovereign island nation’s outer islets, prompting the military in Taiwan to fire live ammunition to shoot it down.
The Taiwanese Army’s Kinmen Defense Command (KDC) issued the following statement confirming the August 30 interaction:
Three groups of three ‘civilian’ drones were flying above Dadan Island, Erdan Island, and Shi Islet in Lieyu Township, Kinmen County, starting at 4:23 that afternoon. Unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) flew away from the islands and toward China’s Xiamen after being alerted by Taiwanese forces with signal lights.
Another drone re-entered the airspace over Erdan Island’s restricted seas at 5:59 p.m. Again, Taiwanese soldiers issued warnings per protocol. Soldiers fired live shots at the UAV to chase it away, but it continued circling over the island. At 6 o’clock, the UAV took off in the direction of Xiamen.
On August 28, Taiwan’s KDC warned that any Chinese drones violating Taiwanese airspace and disobeying orders from the island’s military to depart would be “shot down.” Taipei issued the warning shortly after online video footage revealed that drones had repeatedly and extraordinarily intrusively flown over Taiwanese airspace in the days prior. On August 28, Taiwan News claimed that “even more footage” of “Chinese unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) undermining Taiwanese military facilities” had started to spread on social media.
According to the newspaper’s analysis of the media, Chinese drones have been invading Taiwanese airspace and filming close-up shots of Taiwanese soldiers in recent days on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. In one instance, the soldiers were seen hurling rocks at a drone. In the most recent incident, which occurred on Saturday, August 27, a Chinese drone recorded images of Taiwanese soldiers posted at a lookout position in the Lieyu Township of Kinmen County.
Beijing has cranked up hostile military activities against Taiwan in response to a symbolic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visit from August 2 to August 3. Beijing, which considers Taiwan a Chinese colony, was incensed by the trip. Taiwan is a sovereign state with its constitution, democratically elected government, and autonomous armed forces.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted live-fire training around Taiwan on August 4 in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit. Extended drills in Taiwan followed the four-day exercises.
The Chinese military has confirmed that conventional missiles were fired near Taiwan during operations scheduled until noon on Sunday, August 7. Reuters reported on August 5 that China activated more than 100 planes, including fighter jets, bombers, and over ten vessels (CCTV).
11 Chinese Dongfeng ballistic missiles were fired in surrounding waters, Taiwan reported.
