untitled design

Taiwan: Armed forces shot down unidentified drone in Kinmen Islands

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry announced today that the armed forces shot down a civilian drone, of unclear ownership, after it violated the airspace of the Kinmen Islands, a short distance from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Guangzhou.

In the press release published by the ministry, it added that it will continue to investigate the incident and monitor the airspace to guarantee its safety.

Record violations of the country’s airspace by Chinese military aircraft in August

Taipei announced a record number of airspace violations in August, citing more than 440 Chinese military aircraft entering it, amid Beijing’s anger over visits by US lawmakers to the island under its own democratically elected government. .

According to the AFP database, which uses Taiwan’s Defense Ministry numbers, 446 Chinese aircraft, mostly fighter jets, violated the island’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on August, in other words more than the 380 who had done the same in the whole of 2020.

In the first eight months of 2022, Beijing committed 1,068 violations of Taiwan’s ADIZ; the number has now surpassed the total for 2021 (969).

The island of 23 million people lives under the constant threat of a military invasion by China. Beijing considers the island a breakaway Chinese province destined to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary.

August was marked by a dramatic increase in violations of the island’s ADIZ, as Beijing staged unprecedented military drills in protest of a visit to Taipei by the speaker of the US House of Representatives and other officials.

The Chinese Communist Party has rebelled against any diplomatic moves to legitimize Taipei and has reacted with anger and increasing aggression to visits by Western officials and politicians.

After Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island in early August, China conducted a week of naval exercises in the Taiwan Strait, firing missiles that passed over it and using live fire in the waters and airs around it. These were the biggest and most aggressive gymnasiums held since the mid-1990s.

The clatter of Chinese bells has grown louder under President Xi Jinping. The island’s military is under increasing pressure, facing a dramatic outnumbering by Beijing, while its fleet of warships and fighter jets is largely obsolete.

Last week, Taiwan announced plans to increase its military budget to an unprecedented level of 19.2 billion euros.

SOURCE: APE-ME

Source: Capital

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular