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Taiwan reports combat drone as China military activities continue

26 August 2023 05:24 (UTC +04:00)

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Saturday morning that over the past 24 hours it had detected 20 Chinese air force planes entering the island's air defence zone, including a combat drone the flew along Taiwan's Pacific east coast, APA reports citing Reuters.

Democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for three years of increased military pressure from Beijing.

Last Saturday, China held a day of drills around Taiwan in an angry response to brief stop-overs this month in the United States by Vice President William Lai.

Offering further details on Friday's Chinese activity, Taiwan's defence ministry said the aircraft involved included of Su-30 and J-10 fighters and anti-submarine aircraft.

China's defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment on Saturday.

Some of the fighters and drones crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, previously an unofficial barrier between the two sides but which over the past year Chinese aircraft have routinely crossed, according to a map Taiwan's ministry provided.

A TB-001 drone flew to Taiwan's north, headed into the Pacific, broadly tracking the island's east coast, then looped back along the same flight path and returned to China, the map showed.

Chinese state media has called the TB-001 the "twin-tailed scorpion" and shown pictures of it with missiles under its wings, saying it is capable of high altitude, long-range missions.

In April, Taiwan said the same model of drone had flown around Taiwan.