Taiwan Has Shot Down A Drone Off The Chinese Coast For The First Time

TAIPEI, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s military shot down for the first time an unidentified drone that entered its airspace near an islet off the Chinese coast on Thursday, after the government vowed to take tough measures to address the rise of such intrusions. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own over strong objections from the Taipei government, has held military exercises across the island since early last month in response to a visit to Taipei by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan’s government has said it will not provoke or escalate tensions, but has been particularly angered recently by repeated instances of Chinese drones buzzing Taiwanese-controlled islands off China’s coast. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up The defense command for Kinmen, a group of islands controlled by Taiwan across from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, said in a statement released by Taiwan’s defense ministry that the drone entered restricted airspace over the Lion Islet shortly after noon (04:00 GMT). Troops on the islet tried to warn her to move away, but to no avail, so they shot her down, with the wreckage landing in the sea, he added. Taiwan fired warning shots at a drone for the first time on Tuesday, shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take “strong countermeasures” against what it called Chinese provocations. China’s foreign ministry, which on Monday dismissed Taiwan’s complaints about the drones as “not to make a fuss”, referred questions to the defense ministry, which has yet to comment. Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Policy Affairs Council, told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan had the legal authority to take “necessary defensive measures” as Chinese aircraft were not allowed in Kinmen airspace. Those measures include forcing aircraft to take off or land, he said. Speaking to the armed forces earlier on Thursday, Tsai said China is using drones and other “gray zone” tactics to try to intimidate Taiwan, her office said in a statement. Tsai reiterated that Taiwan will not provoke disputes, but that does not mean it will not take countermeasures, the statement added. “He has also instructed the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend national security,” it said. “Let the army guard the country without fear and with firm confidence.” Taiwan has controlled Kinmen, which at its closest point is a few hundred meters (feet) from Chinese territory, since the defeated ROC government took refuge in Taipei after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists in 1949. During the Cold War, China regularly bombed Kinmen and other Taiwanese-controlled islands along the Chinese coast, but they are now tourist destinations. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Ben Blanchard. Edited by Shri Navaratnam, Robert Birsel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

title: “Taiwan Has Shot Down A Drone Off The Chinese Coast For The First Time Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-26” author: “Kimberly Schwartz”

TAIPEI, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s military shot down for the first time an unidentified drone that entered its airspace near an islet off the Chinese coast on Thursday, after the government vowed to take tough measures to address the rise of such intrusions. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own over strong objections from the Taipei government, has held military exercises across the island since early last month in response to a visit to Taipei by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan’s government has said it will not provoke or escalate tensions, but has been particularly angered recently by repeated instances of Chinese drones buzzing Taiwanese-controlled islands off China’s coast. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up The defense command for Kinmen, a group of islands controlled by Taiwan across from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, said in a statement released by Taiwan’s defense ministry that the drone entered restricted airspace over the Lion Islet shortly after noon (04:00 GMT). Troops on the islet tried to warn her to move away, but to no avail, so they shot her down, with the wreckage landing in the sea, he added. Taiwan fired warning shots at a drone for the first time on Tuesday, shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take “strong countermeasures” against what it called Chinese provocations. China’s foreign ministry, which on Monday dismissed Taiwan’s complaints about the drones as “not to make a fuss”, referred questions to the defense ministry, which has yet to comment. Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Policy Affairs Council, told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan had the legal authority to take “necessary defensive measures” as Chinese aircraft were not allowed in Kinmen airspace. Those measures include forcing aircraft to take off or land, he said. Speaking to the armed forces earlier on Thursday, Tsai said China is using drones and other “gray zone” tactics to try to intimidate Taiwan, her office said in a statement. Tsai reiterated that Taiwan will not provoke disputes, but that does not mean it will not take countermeasures, the statement added. “He has also instructed the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend national security,” it said. “Let the army guard the country without fear and with firm confidence.” Taiwan has controlled Kinmen, which at its closest point is a few hundred meters (feet) from Chinese territory, since the defeated ROC government took refuge in Taipei after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists in 1949. During the Cold War, China regularly bombed Kinmen and other Taiwanese-controlled islands along the Chinese coast, but they are now tourist destinations. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Ben Blanchard. Edited by Shri Navaratnam, Robert Birsel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

title: “Taiwan Has Shot Down A Drone Off The Chinese Coast For The First Time Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-15” author: “Thomas Dodson”

TAIPEI, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s military shot down for the first time an unidentified drone that entered its airspace near an islet off the Chinese coast on Thursday, after the government vowed to take tough measures to address the rise of such intrusions. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own over strong objections from the Taipei government, has held military exercises across the island since early last month in response to a visit to Taipei by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan’s government has said it will not provoke or escalate tensions, but has been particularly angered recently by repeated instances of Chinese drones buzzing Taiwanese-controlled islands off China’s coast. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up The defense command for Kinmen, a group of islands controlled by Taiwan across from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, said in a statement released by Taiwan’s defense ministry that the drone entered restricted airspace over the Lion Islet shortly after noon (04:00 GMT). Troops on the islet tried to warn her to move away, but to no avail, so they shot her down, with the wreckage landing in the sea, he added. Taiwan fired warning shots at a drone for the first time on Tuesday, shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take “strong countermeasures” against what it called Chinese provocations. China’s foreign ministry, which on Monday dismissed Taiwan’s complaints about the drones as “not to make a fuss”, referred questions to the defense ministry, which has yet to comment. Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Policy Affairs Council, told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan had the legal authority to take “necessary defensive measures” as Chinese aircraft were not allowed in Kinmen airspace. Those measures include forcing aircraft to take off or land, he said. Speaking to the armed forces earlier on Thursday, Tsai said China is using drones and other “gray zone” tactics to try to intimidate Taiwan, her office said in a statement. Tsai reiterated that Taiwan will not provoke disputes, but that does not mean it will not take countermeasures, the statement added. “He has also instructed the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend national security,” it said. “Let the army guard the country without fear and with firm confidence.” Taiwan has controlled Kinmen, which at its closest point is a few hundred meters (feet) from Chinese territory, since the defeated ROC government took refuge in Taipei after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists in 1949. During the Cold War, China regularly bombed Kinmen and other Taiwanese-controlled islands along the Chinese coast, but they are now tourist destinations. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Ben Blanchard. Edited by Shri Navaratnam, Robert Birsel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

title: “Taiwan Has Shot Down A Drone Off The Chinese Coast For The First Time Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-23” author: “Brynn Woods”

TAIPEI, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s military shot down for the first time an unidentified drone that entered its airspace near an islet off the Chinese coast on Thursday, after the government vowed to take tough measures to address the rise of such intrusions. Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own over strong objections from the Taipei government, has held military exercises across the island since early last month in response to a visit to Taipei by the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Taiwan’s government has said it will not provoke or escalate tensions, but has been particularly angered recently by repeated instances of Chinese drones buzzing Taiwanese-controlled islands off China’s coast. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up The defense command for Kinmen, a group of islands controlled by Taiwan across from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, said in a statement released by Taiwan’s defense ministry that the drone entered restricted airspace over the Lion Islet shortly after noon (04:00 GMT). Troops on the islet tried to warn her to move away, but to no avail, so they shot her down, with the wreckage landing in the sea, he added. Taiwan fired warning shots at a drone for the first time on Tuesday, shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take “strong countermeasures” against what it called Chinese provocations. China’s foreign ministry, which on Monday dismissed Taiwan’s complaints about the drones as “not to make a fuss”, referred questions to the defense ministry, which has yet to comment. Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Policy Affairs Council, told reporters in Taipei that Taiwan had the legal authority to take “necessary defensive measures” as Chinese aircraft were not allowed in Kinmen airspace. Those measures include forcing aircraft to take off or land, he said. Speaking to the armed forces earlier on Thursday, Tsai said China is using drones and other “gray zone” tactics to try to intimidate Taiwan, her office said in a statement. Tsai reiterated that Taiwan will not provoke disputes, but that does not mean it will not take countermeasures, the statement added. “He has also instructed the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend national security,” it said. “Let the army guard the country without fear and with firm confidence.” Taiwan has controlled Kinmen, which at its closest point is a few hundred meters (feet) from Chinese territory, since the defeated ROC government took refuge in Taipei after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists in 1949. During the Cold War, China regularly bombed Kinmen and other Taiwanese-controlled islands along the Chinese coast, but they are now tourist destinations. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Ben Blanchard. Edited by Shri Navaratnam, Robert Birsel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.