On August 24, Taiwan’s army confirmed {that a} image circulating on Chinese language social media of Taiwanese troopers trying up at a Chinese language unmanned aerial car (UAV) is genuine.
A viral picture on Weibo, a Chinese language social media platform, allegedly confirmed Taiwanese sentries trying up at a Folks’s Liberation Army (PLA) drone from a really shut distance.
The Taiwanese army acknowledged within the newest assertion {that a} “civilian drone” was noticed flying overhead by the Lieyu Garrison Battalion round 6 p.m. on August 16, reported Taiwan News.
The army additional acknowledged the battalion had taken “applicable responsive measures to repel the drone and launched counter-surveillance measures in accordance with normal procedures.”
The drone quickly flew away after the sentries adopted normal working process (SOP) to inform and warn the plane. In keeping with a spokesman for the Kinmen Protection Command who spoke to Taiwan News, the drone was certainly civilian and flew over the waters off the shore of Lieyu Township.
He additional acknowledged that the drone didn’t penetrate the nation’s airspace. The official famous that, as proven within the picture, one of many troopers is holding a digital camera in his hand to {photograph} the drone.
Often, the usual protocol additionally consists of warning flares to fend off Chinese language drones as a substitute of taking extra drastic motion, like capturing down plane, to keep away from escalating cross-strait tensions.
On this case, the spokesman emphasised that solely a radio warning was given as a result of the UAV was nonetheless offshore. He mentioned flares weren’t fired for the reason that UAV by no means crossed the nation’s airspace.
Nonetheless, there’s a video on the web that appears to point out the identical army publish with two troops seen hurling rocks on the drone. The video appeared to have been recorded instantly by the drone.
He added that the drone had captured the image of the troopers utilizing a singular telephoto lens whereas flying at about 1,000 meters. The official famous that the troopers have been posted at a station to trace PLA plane within the space; subsequently, the airplane had not revealed a significant army set up.
Kinmen County additionally known as Quemoy, is a bunch of islands in China’s Fujian Province ruled by Taiwan, formally referred to as the Republic of China. It’s located about 10 kilometers east of town of Xiamen.
For the reason that starting of the 12 months, the Taiwanese army has routinely reported seeing Chinese language army and civilian drones flying near Kinmen and the neighboring frontline county of Matsu.
Taiwan Begins Tank, Artillery Reside-Hearth Drills
It’s believed that the Chinese language frequently ship these drones to spy on Taiwanese forces stationed at frontline offshore islands and to judge their army’s response to such incursions. On the opposite aspect, Taiwan has frequently performed army drills to evaluate its fight preparedness.
On August 24, Taiwan performed live-fire coaching with tanks, artillery, and different weapons in Penghu County. In accordance to native media, the Penghu Protection Command performed live-fire coaching that morning utilizing M60A3 tanks, 105 mm, 155 mm, 120 mm mortars, and.50 caliber machine weapons.
The “strong fight energy” of the Penghu Protection Command forces was displayed with dwell hearth. The M60A3 tanks carried out counter-amphibious touchdown operations all through the train and fired numerous ammunition to evaluate the officers and enlisted troopers’ fight readiness.
Moreover, 155 mm howitzers used dwell ammunition, and 105 mm howitzers and 120 mm mortars switched positions after firing flares, which have been additionally accompanied by dwell ammunition.
The .50 caliber machine weapons have been used to follow capturing down flying targets. The assorted weapon methods complemented one different in finishing up high-efficiency joint-strike operations and exhibiting the armed forces’ “strong fight energy.”
On August 23, President Tsai Ing-wen paid a go to to a few army models monitoring Taiwan’s Folks’s Liberation Army (PLA) actions.
The president inspected three models in northern New Taipei Metropolis: the Air Pressure’s No. 6 Radar Squadron, the Navy’s third Hai Feng Shore Primarily based Anti-ship Missile Squadron, and the Air Pressure’s Taipei Communication Squadron.
In the meantime, Wei Fenghe, China’s State Councilor, and Protection Minister, acknowledged in a video speech at a Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO) assembly on August 24 that “Taiwan is China’s Taiwan, and the Taiwan query is China’s home affairs.”
Wei delivered the speech through video hyperlink at a gathering of the SCO member states’ protection ministers. He additionally mentioned China firmly opposes and denounces US Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s go to.
