Taiwan will begin deploying drone defense systems on its offshore islands next year, Taiwan’s defense ministry said after releasing a clip of Taiwanese soldiers throwing stones at a Chinese drone as it flew over a patrol post near China’s coast. will do.
Taiwan has complained about frequent Chinese drone strikes near its offshore islands as part of China’s war games and exercises, after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei this month angered Beijing.
The short video, which was first posted on Chinese social media before being published by Taiwanese media, shows two soldiers throwing stones at a drone that approached their guard post with stones.
China’s PLA uses consumer-grade drones to scout the defenses of Taiwan’s Kinmen Island. pic.twitter.com/4W2Oivcf1V
— NGDrone (@ZiQingYang3) August 24, 2022
The Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands Group Defense Command issued a statement late Wednesday saying the incident took place on Aug. 16 on Jordan Island and confirming the stone-throwing by soldiers. To drive away what you call a civilian drone.
For its part, Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a separate statement that it will deploy anti-drone systems starting next year, initially on smaller islands.
confirmed!!
A video of a drone from mainland China hovering over Taiwanese soldiers on Kinmen Island.
As you can see, the air defense in Taiwan was really active pic.twitter.com/T6aQegK7IW
— Zhao Dashoi 无结果爱国???????? (@obsidianstatue1) August 24, 2022
He added, officers and soldiers at all levels will continue to be vigilant based on the principle of “not escalating differences or inciting differences”.
China has not commented on the video, which has received millions of views on Chinese social media and has been mocked by users.
It also sparked heated debate in Taiwan, where some social media users described the incident as a “humiliation” of the island’s armed forces and called on the defense ministry to step up its countermeasures against frequent drone attacks.
Earlier, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen told a visiting US official on Monday, August 22, 2022, that the self-ruled island must stand by its democratic allies.
The comments by Eric Holcomb, the president of Taiwan and the governor of the US state of Indiana, which is the third time this month by a senior American official, including Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, have angered China, which considers Taiwan its province.
China has conducted military drills and exercises near Taiwan since Pelosi’s visit.
Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claim to sovereignty, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
Source: Lebanon Debate
