Lee, the head of the Ocean Affairs Council, which regulates the Taiwan Coast Guard, said they discovered mainland Chinese drones flying around the Dong Sa (Pratas) archipelago currently controlled by Taiwan).
Speaking at the Taiwan Legislature on April 7, Mr. Lee Chung-wei said “[Mainland Chinese] drones have never entered our restricted waters and airspace, they just fly around. around at a certain distance. “
China asserted that Taiwan is an inseparable part and needs to be unified. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warships and fighter jets often approach outside Taiwan’s restricted zone – six kilometers from the island’s coast.
Talking about the response of the Coast Guard when the Chinese drone entered that restricted area, Mr. Lee stated, “After it penetrates, everything will be handled according to the procedure. If necessary, we will shoot it down. “
On the same day April 7, the head of the Taiwanese diplomatic service Joseph Wu announced that the island would fight to the end if it was attacked by the mainland, and said the US also saw such a scenario could happen.
Taiwan’s defense agency on April 6 confirmed that 15 PLA aircraft “entered the Taiwan air defense detection area”, including 2 KJ-500 early warning aircraft, 1 war transport aircraft. Yunshuji-8 (Y-8) and 12 fighter jets.
In recent months Taiwan has repeatedly criticized Chinese air force activities near the Dongsha Islands, while the Taiwan Coast Guard has been only weakly defending despite marines deployments.
Elsewhere, the US Navy confirmed the USS John S. McCain destroyer had passed through the Taiwan Strait on April 6, as a signal of Washington’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region. Binh Duong is free and open.
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