The Taiwanese military said on Thursday that it shot down an unidentified civilian drone that had violated its airspace above Shiyu Island’s restricted seas in early this morning. Shiyu Island is located close to the coast of China.
According to a statement issued by Taiwan’s Defence Ministry, “the Jinmen Defense Command of the Army revealed that about 12:30 p.m. today (1), an unidentified civilian aerial camera was observed to infiltrate the airspace over the restricted seas of Shiyu Island.”
The statement continues, “The Ministry of Defense will continue to search, monitor, and closely monitor to preserve the security of the defense region.”
Since mid-August, several civilian drones have been spotted flying over the outlying island of Kinmen, 180 kilometers from Taiwan’s main island but less than 10 kilometers from China. On one occasion, on August 16, two Taiwanese soldiers wearing masks reportedly threw rocks at a Chinese drone when it flew above their military post.
The Kinmen Defence Command said two other Chinese drones were detected at Little Kinmen island and nearby Lion islet on Saturday and Monday, respectively. The one that passed over Lion islet at around 4 pm was flying very low, only 30 meters from the ground, it said.
On August 30, US Arizona Governor Doug Ducey became the newest American minister to land in Taipei on a five-day trade mission to Taiwan and the Republic of Korea. The mission aimed to improve Arizona’s long-standing relationships with the two Asian allies.
The governor’s schedule includes talks with the heads of high-tech manufacturing firms and meetings with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and other government representatives.
