Taiwan reports missile launch against ‘unidentified drone’
The drone was spotted by the Taiwanese military in the skies over the Kinmen archipelago, a few dozen kilometers from mainland China. Several special flares were fired at it< source srcset="https://s0.rbk.ru/v6_top_pics/resized/1200xH/media/img/8/56/756595747294568.jpg 1200w" media="(min-resolution: 192dpi)" >
The Taiwanese military fired several special flares towards the “unidentified aircraft” in the sky over the Kinmen archipelago. This was reported by Reuters, citing a statement by a representative of the Taiwan Ministry of Defense.
According to him, an unidentified device, presumably a drone, was seen over Kinmen on the night of August 3. The military responded quickly and fired several special signal rockets at him.
At the moment, the situation in the archipelago is calm, the level of military threat has not been raised, the representative of the military department specified.
Kinmen— It is an archipelago with an area of 153 sq. km, located two dozen kilometers from mainland China, but belonging to Taiwan. The island has a population of approximately 128,000.
Taiwan declared secession from China during a civil war in 1949. Beijing does not recognize the independence of the island and considers it its province. The administrative status of the region has not yet been settled.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have risen in recent weeks due to the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island. On August 2, Pelosi's special flight landed in Taiwan, despite all objections from Beijing. After getting off the plane, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives said that the main goal of the American delegation— support for “bright and dynamic” democracy in Taiwan. On August 3, the politician left the country.
In response to the speaker's visit, China announced the start of large-scale military exercises in the waters of Taiwan with “long-range combat firing.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry strongly protested and said that Pelosi's trip “greatly affected the political foundation of China-US relations, violated China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and seriously undermined the stability of the Taiwan Strait.”
The White House responded that Pelosi's trip is consistent with US policy on Taiwan and that the US will continue to closely monitor China's actions after the speaker leaves the island.
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