Taiwan threatens to shoot down Chinese drones amid mounting US-China conflict wsws.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wsws.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Taiwan to Test Rocket Launchers in South China Sea Anti-Landing Drills
On 4/7/21 at 6:30 AM EDT
Taiwan s coast guard will test armor-piercing shoulder rockets while conducting anti-landing drills on one of its South China Sea islands later this month, according to reports from Taipei.
Live-fire drills on Dongsha Island, which is some 275 miles southwest of Taiwan, have been scheduled for April 25 and May 2, the Coast Guard Administration announced on Sunday. The weapons tests will take place within a radius of 8 nautical miles and at a maximum height of 12,000 feet, the bulletin said.
Taiwan s
Apple Daily reports the drills on Dongsha also known as Pratas Island will simulate defense against a Chinese invasion force, and involve the firing of shoulder-launched Kestrel rockets. The domestically produced weapons are used by Taiwan s armed forces and coast guard, serving as either armor- or concrete-piercing missiles operated by a single soldier.
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TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan has spotted Chinese drones circling the Taipei-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea and may shoot them down if they stray too close, a government minister said on Wednesday, a move that could dramatically increase tensions with Beijing.
Speaking at parliament, Lee Chung-wei, who heads the Ocean Affairs Council under whose purview the Coast Guard falls, said that they had recently spotted Chinese drones circling the Pratas, though they have not flown over the islands.
“They have never entered our restricted waters and airspace, they’ve just flown around them at a certain distance,” Lee said.
Taiwan says may shoot down Chinese drones in S.China Sea Reuters 2 hrs ago
By Yimou Lee
TAIPEI, April 7 (Reuters) - Taiwan has spotted Chinese drones circling the Taipei-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea and may shoot them down if they stray too close, a government minister said on Wednesday, a move that could dramatically increase tensions with Beijing.
Speaking at parliament, Lee Chung-wei, who heads the Ocean Affairs Council under whose purview the Coast Guard falls, said that they had recently spotted Chinese drones circling the Pratas, though they have not flown over the islands. They have never entered our restricted waters and airspace, they ve just flown around them at a certain distance, Lee said.
By Yimou Lee
Speaking at parliament, Lee Chung-wei, who heads the Ocean Affairs Council under whose purview the Coast Guard falls, said that they had recently spotted Chinese drones circling the Pratas, though they have not flown over the islands.
“They have never entered our restricted waters and airspace, they’ve just flown around them at a certain distance,” Lee said.
While China recognises no Taiwanese claims of sovereignty, its aircraft and ships generally stay outside Taiwan’s restricted zone, which extends 6 km from its coast.
Asked how the Coast Guard would react if a Chinese drone entered that restricted zone, Lee said they had rules of engagement.