Advertisement
Taiwan faces hard choices as drones from mainland China start flying over Quemoy in wake of Nancy Pelosi visit
- The Chinese military drones were spotted over the Taipei-controlled island just hours after the US House Speaker concluded a visit that has enraged Beijing
- Trying to shoot them down risks further escalation, but doing nothing might encourage further flights, possibly over Taiwan island itself
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
64
The Chinese military’s decision to send drones over Quemoy island has left Taiwan facing a dilemma over how to respond.
Military observers said trying to shoot them down increased the risk of a conflict with Beijing as tensions rise following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan this week.
On the other hand they are believed to have been used to gather intelligence about Taiwan’s military strength and preparedness on the island, which is just 3.2km (2 miles) from the mainland city of Xiamen, and a failure to act could encourage more operations in future.
The People’s Liberation Army drones were spotted flying over Quemoy, which is also known as Kinmen, on Wednesday night – hours after Pelosi left Taipei for South Korea as part of her Asia tour and the night before a series of live-fire exercises around the coast of Taiwan island started.
Troops in Quemoy fired flares to warn the drone away and maintained combat readiness, the Taiwanese defence ministry said in a statement.
Major General Chang Zone-sung from Kinmen defence command told Reuters the drones came in a pair and were seen twice at around 9pm and 10pm.
Advertisement