Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that Taiwanese troops fired warning shots at a Chinese drone that was flying in airspace over Kinmen County, an archipelago of Taiwanese-controlled islands off the southeastern coast of mainland China.
The Taiwanese Army’s Kinmen Defense Command said that three “civilian” drones flew over the Kinmen islands, also known as Quemoy islands, and that Taiwanese troops fired warning flares, driving the drones away.
But then another drone entered airspace over Erdan, an island in the archipelago that is only 2.5 miles from the Chinese mainland city of Xiamen. Taiwanese troops then fired shoots at the drone, which drove it away.
The incident is the first time that Taiwan fired on Chinese drones since it began detecting them in its airspace and came after the Taiwanese military warned it would shoot drones down.
Taiwan has frequently reported Chinese drones flying near its outlying islands since China launched its largest-ever military exercises in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
China has kept up the military pressure on Taiwan as US delegations continue to visit Taipei. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday, marking the fifth US visit to the island in the month of August.
The incident highlights the danger of the current tensions that were sparked by Pelosi’s visit. The Biden administration is reportedly preparing to ask Congress to approve a $1.1 billion arms sale for Taiwan that includes anti-ship and air-to-air missiles.
Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taipei in 1979 but has continued to sell weapons to Taiwan. In recent years, US support for Taiwan has been increasing as Washington now views the island as an opportunity to counter Beijing.
Taiwan is playing a dangerous and pointless game here. There is much to lose by alienating the mainland. Its leaders could learn something from South Korea. They should realize that China can destroy their economy without a major military confrontation. And, most importantly, they should realize that “Independence” does not mean trading one master for another.
Spot on, spot on…
South Korea learned that there is a limit to the economic damage that China (and Japan) can inflict. Many Korean businesses moved shop to SE Asia after China imposed restrictions, while quality of life in Seoul improved with the drop in Chinese tourists, who were largely replaced by well-behaved tourists from SE Asia. The major conglomerates in both Korea and China are too interdependent for either country to impose serious economic restrictions.
Taiwan is in the same boat. There is a lot of dependence in Mainland China on Taiwanese industries. Japan and the US are cooking up more favorable trade agreements with Taiwan to offset any serious damage the Chinese can impose on smaller industries.
Sanctions and embargoes don’t work. China is just starting to learn that.
If sanctions and embargos don’t work, why is Germany and the UE begging Russia not to shut their gas off….lol…oh wait, those were sanctions against Russia…guess who will sanction China if they retaliate for Taiwan aggression?
One Year After Afghanistan Withdrawal, Millions of Afghans Facing Starvation as US Maintains Sanctions https://news.antiwar.com/2022/08/30/one-year-after-afghanistan-withdrawal-millions-of-afghans-facing-starvation-as-us-maintains-sanctions/
China is still South Korea’s biggest trade partner, last I heard. And South Korea is a country.. Taiwan is an island. And the US is cooking up plans to move Taiwan’s semiconductor industry to the US – which means the US will then abandon Taiwan as it has many other “allies”.
Exactly! It’s too bad that they think Biden is going to protect them. The people are going to suffer just like Ukrainians are. Biden and the neocons don’t care about people unless they are corporations my friends
What you shoot at will then shoot back. Almost always.
Armed drones? They happen. We invented them.
This is an escalation to shooting war, and “our side” did it. Again.
Thanks Nancy, you were so helpful.
Since Taiwan is part of China, firing at a Chinese drone emphasizes that Taiwan’s government believes it is NOT part of China. This is a deliberate escalation, as is Biden’s request for a billion dollars in weapons, and China will respond to it.