Taiwan has fired flares to drive away suspected Chinese drones that flew over its airspace in the Kinmen and Beiding Islands regions.
China were expected to respond to Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, who have been on high alert since the US House of Representatives’ Speaker set foot on the island earlier this week.
As well as carrying out a series of military exercises, Major General Chang Zone-sung, of the Army’s Kinmen Defense Command, reported that China sent up a pair of drones twice on Wednesday night (August 3) around 9pm and 10pm local time.
“We immediately fired flares to issue warnings and to drive them away,” he said.
“After that, they turned around. They came into our restricted area and that’s why we dispersed them.”
Chang said he believed the drones were intended to gather intelligence on Taiwan’s security deployment in its outlying islands.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) added that the Kinmen Defense Command responded in accordance with standard operating procedures.
They fired flares while also maintaining combat readiness and implementing covert actions.
The MND also pointed out that camouflaging of military camps, facilities, and positions was implemented in accordance with regulations. It added that countermeasures were carried out to prevent enemy air reconnaissance and ensure the security of the defence zone.
The heavily fortified Kinmen Islands are just off the south-eastern coast of China, near the city of Xiamen and this marked the first time that Chinese drones have appeared over Taiwan territory, with the unmanned vehicles flying at an altitude of around 2,000 metres.
Last week, on July 28, Taiwan’s military fired flares at a Chinese drone to warn it away as it flew over the outer island of Dongyin, which is part of the Matsu archipelago that comprises Lienchiang County.
