Taipei and Beijing have exchanged heated remarks over a series of Chinese flights over Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands, some of which were monitoring military bases.
The images and videos taken by these drones from the archipelago located a few kilometers from the Chinese city of Xiamen were shared on Chinese and Taiwanese social networks.
One of the videos shows Taiwanese soldiers throwing rocks at one of them to drive him away.
Asked about the videos, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said: “This is not an issue that deserves so much controversy because the demonstrations are flying over Chinese soil.”
The response angered Taipei, which likened the drone harassment to the behavior of “thieves.”
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement: “Those who come without an invitation are called thieves. Whether they break the door or spy from the air, the people of Taiwan do not welcome such thieves.”
He added: “The developmentist and authoritarian government of the Communist Party of China has always made harassment of other countries a daily thing, and therefore it deserves the title of a regional troublemaker.”
Taiwan is under constant threat of attack by China, which considers the island as part of its territory and should be taken back by force one day if necessary.
Tensions in the Taiwan Strait reached their highest level in recent years after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island earlier this month.
In response, China conducted a week of land and sea military maneuvers unprecedented since the mid-1990s, including a parade of flights over the Kinman Islands.
So far, Taiwan’s defense ministry has only fired on the marchers, but warned it would take “necessary countermeasures,” including abandoning them if necessary.
Source: Lebanon Debate
