Taiwan said Tuesday that soldiers on one of its small islands just off the Chinese mainland were on alert following “provocations” from Chinese civilian drones.
Taiwan’s military said in a statement that it had asked its soldiers based on Erdan Island to “increase their vigilance” in response to “provocations from Chinese Internet users frequently using drones.”
Erdan is just 5 km from the Chinese coast and is part of the Kinmen Islands chain, very close to the Chinese coast.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to regain control of the autonomous democratic island.
Since the 2016 election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, China has stepped up military pressure on Taipei using what experts describe as “gray zone” interventions, i.e. tactics of intimidation without going as far as war.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have also increased since the election of Vice President Lai Ching-te in January, whom Beijing considers a “separatist.” »
In addition to almost daily pressure from the Chinese air force and navy off the island, Taiwan also faces intrusions from unidentified civilian drones which monitor and harass its troops.
The Kinmen Defense Command said in a statement that training of soldiers in the use of drones will be strengthened, including taking “appropriate countermeasures based on the threat level.”
The statement comes a week after local media reported a YouTube video showing Taiwanese soldiers and some military installations in Erdan.
The video was accompanied by this caption: “Taiwanese soldiers on Erdan Island are frightened by a Chinese drone.”
Near the Kinmen Islands, a Chinese boat capsized in February while being pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard, throwing its four passengers into the water, two of whom died.
In 2022, Taiwanese soldiers in Kinmen shot down an unidentified civilian drone amid heightened tensions with China following a visit to Taipei by Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.