Taiwan shot flares to ward off unidentified aircraft, most likely assault drones, that passed over the Kinmen islands, according to the Defense Ministry, as China prepared for a large military exercise in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to the island nation.
"We fired flares immediately to provide warnings and drive them away. After that, they reversed course. Because they entered our restricted zone and we dispersed them," Major General Chang Zone-sung of the Army's Kinmen Defence Command stated.
"We fired flares immediately to provide warnings and drive them away. After that, they reversed course. Because they entered our restricted zone and we dispersed them," Major General Chang Zone-sung of the Army's Kinmen Defence Command stated.
The heavily guarded Kinmen islands are located near the city of Xiamen, right off the southeast coast of China. Chang stated that he felt the drones were designed to collect intelligence about Taiwan's security deployment in the outlying islands.
"We will respond if they arrive," Chang said.
Taiwan's military shot flares last week to ward off a drone that "glanced" its Matsu islands off the coast of China's Fujian province and was possibly assessing its defenses, according to the Defence Ministry.
Taiwan disclosed that its website was temporarily taken offline due to cyber attacks Thursday, and that it was working closely with other agencies to improve information security.
Multiple government websites, including the White House, became vulnerable to outside cyber attacks early this week, some of which were reportedly initiated by China and Russia, according to authorities.
Taiwan has been on high alert as China conducts a series of military exercises in response to Pelosi's visit to the island this week.
China believes Taiwan to be part of its territory and has never abandoned the use of force to subjugate it. The United States and the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations cautioned China not to use the visit as an excuse to launch a military attack against Taiwan.
Since the administration of former U.S. president Donald Trump, interactions between Washington and Taipei have increased dramatically, with both past and current congressmen making travels to the island of over 30 million people.
Under Washington's One China policy, the United States formally recognized China in 1979, transferred diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing, and accepted Taiwan as part of the mainland.
