As Beijing increases military exercises near the democratic island, Taiwan has warned it will exercise its right to self-defence and counter-attack if Chinese armed forces enter its territory.
“For aircraft and ships that enter our sea and air territory of 12 nautical miles, the national army will exercise the right to self-defence and counter-attack without exception,” said the deputy chief of the general staff for operations and planning, Lin Wen-Huang, at a news briefing.
Mr. Lin went on to say that the military would use the same authority to attack Chinese drones that did not comply with directives to leave its land after posing threats.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own despite Taipei’s strong objections, has staged military manoeuvres surrounding the island this month in response to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
According to Taiwanese defence authorities, China’s “high intensity” military patrols near Taiwan have continued, and Beijing’s desire to make the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides, its “inner sea,” will become the main source of regional instability.
Taiwan has complained about Chinese drones flying too close to its small groups of islands off China’s coast. Taiwan fired the first warning shots at a Chinese drone on Tuesday, just after President Tsai Ing-wen directed Taiwan’s military to take “strong countermeasures” against what she called Chinese provocations.
Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, reiterated China’s position that Taiwan is its property during a routine news briefing.
“Firstly, I need to tell you, Taiwan is a province of China. It has no so-called defence ministry. The Taiwan authorities are playing up their nervousness, and this is meaningless,” Zhao Lijian said.
Earlier this week, the ministry dismissed Taiwanese complaints over drone harassment as “not worth fussing about.”
In the same briefing, Ma Cheng-Kun, director of a military academy, National Defence University, stated that China may take additional steps to prevent foreign naval ships from passing through the strait without permission.
“After the new military normal status has been consolidated, then the risk of collision will increase if foreign naval ships insist on the rights of navigation and freedom,” he said.
Taipei continues to resist Beijing’s claims of sovereignty, claiming that the People’s Republic of China has never ruled the island and that only the people of Taiwan can decide their fate.
