Taiwan’s premier said the military acted in self-defense when it shot down a drone near an offshore outpost, and indicated the practice would continue.
(Bloomberg) — Taiwan’s premier said the military acted in self-defense when it shot down a drone near an offshore outpost, and indicated the practice would continue.
“This was the most appropriate response after repeated warnings and showing tolerance,” Su Tseng-chang told reporters Friday in the southern city of Kaohsiung. Taiwan would “respond appropriately based on international norms” in the future, he said.
Su referred to earlier unmanned aircraft that appeared in Taiwan territory as “Chinese drones,” repeating an assertion by President Tsai Ing-wen, who ordered the military to take tough measures against unmanned aircraft that traveled across the strait.
Taiwan Shoots Down Drone, Showing Risk of Escalation With China
Taiwan shot down a drone near Kinmen Island on Thursday, a sign that Taipei is pushing back against Beijing’s efforts to encroach on its territory. China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan since a visit last month by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — the first by someone in her position in 25 years.
Earlier this week, Taiwan fired shots and flares at civilian drones that approached its offshore islands. Those aircraft headed toward China after the warnings.
Kuo Yu-jen, director of the Institute for National Policy Research in Taipei, said earlier that the drones were “part of China’s gray-zone tactics and cognitive warfare against Taiwan,” describing incursions as “an attempt to humiliate Taiwan’s military.”
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