Taiwan Sees Biggest Border Breach Yet – S Chronicles

47 Chinese planes reportedly violated Taiwanese airspace for an exercise. North Korean drones near Seoul cause a stir. South Korea fired shots.

Taipei/Seoul. According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, 71 Chinese aircraft and seven ships were located near Taiwan in 24 hours from 6 am on Monday. 47 aircraft crossed the centerline of the Taiwan Strait. The strait separates Taiwan from mainland China.
China announced on Sunday that it had carried out military exercises in the region. Exercises were carried out at sea and in the airspace near Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army Eastern Command said. It is a “resolute response” to the “current escalation and provocation” by the United States and Taiwan. The US Congress approved the government’s new budget on Friday, which also includes new loans for Taiwan to buy weapons.

The Chinese leadership regards Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic and threatens to conquer it. Tensions have risen in recent months. Following a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August, Beijing has launched full-scale military maneuvers and is keeping up the military pressure by increasing the deployment of warships and aircraft in the Taiwan Strait. According to a Taiwanese news agency, the Chinese exercise over the weekend led to the biggest border violation of Taiwanese airspace to date.

South Korea fires warning shots

Tensions also rose elsewhere in China’s vicinity. South Korea’s military said on Monday it had detected several unmanned aerial vehicles in the border region and initially responded with loudspeaker announcements and warning shots.

The South Koreans assume it was small drones from neighboring North Korea that flew over the military demarcation line. “This is a clear act of provocation by the North that violates our airspace,” said Lee Seung-o, a member of the South Korean General Staff. One of the drones flew near the South Korean capital, Seoul. Warning shots were initially fired. Whether the drones were hit remained open.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the military fired about 100 rounds. One of the drones had returned to North Korea. The other four lost sight of the military. According to Lee, in response to the drone operation, South Korean reconnaissance aircraft flew north to take aerial photos. North Korean drones were small, about two meters long. Lee did not elaborate on the aircraft’s equipment.

It is the first time since 2017 that a border incident of this type has become known. At that time, the South Korean military seized an alleged spy drone near the heavily fortified border with North Korea after it crashed. The aircraft was reportedly scheduled for a return flight to North Korea. (age)