An impending war between China and Taiwan has been brewing for decades now but tensions between the two nations came to a head this week.
For the first time ever, Taiwan took strong defensive action against China’s Red Army by shooting down a military drone that violated its airspace. Shortly before that, Taiwan’s government promised to respond with force if China continues its aggressive military advancement on their territory.
🚨🇹🇼Just in: Taiwan shoots down Chinese drone for first time off Chinese coast. pic.twitter.com/IWELtKchWt
— Terror Alarm (@Terror_Alarm) September 1, 2022
On Thursday, Taiwanese soldiers gunned down the drone after warning shots failed to dispel it. The incident occurred just one day after Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) threatened a counterattack against any Chinese troops or weaponry that come within 12 nautical miles of the self-governing island’s territory.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking to MOD forces earlier on Thursday, accused China of using “gray zone” tactics, including drone overflights, to intimidate Taiwan.
Tsai earlier ordered the military to take “strong countermeasures” if China continues to make incursions into Taiwanese air and sea territory, according to The Guardian.
https://twitter.com/NFSC_HAGnews/status/1563764791398699009
Taiwanese troops launched signal flares to warn the drone away after it flew over restricted waters near the Shihyu Islet, part of an island chain close to the coastal mainland, local news TVBS reported.
The MND fired warning shots for the first time Tuesday to ward off a sortie of Chinese military drones that came near the Kinmen islands, the same general location where the Thursday event took place, Reuters reported.
China has repeatedly sent drones to surveil the Taiwan-controlled islands since launching large-scale military exercises in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s in-person meeting with Tsai. Videos of private drones flying near the islands to take pictures also circulated widely on Chinese social media since.
Meanwhile, this escalation comes only a day after reports emerged of Joe Biden’s plan to ask Congress for $1.1 billion in military funding for Taiwan — a move that would all but destroy diplomatic relations with China.
US President Joe Biden to approve an estimated $1.1bn arms sale to Taiwan, including 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles.
Read more: https://t.co/dfYyqOhlrS pic.twitter.com/4CAj9YneS5
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 30, 2022
So, it’s Biden’s plan to get America involved in every foreign military conflict by funding successive proxy wars until we finally go bankrupt?
America is being pushed to the brink — how much longer until the dam finally breaks?
Author: Monica Hedren
