Chinese drone violates Taiwan’s airspace for first time... “Even as tensions escalate, Taipei has few effective options”

[Financial News]

Amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan, it has emerged that China has sent a drone toward Taiwan for the first time on record.
The Financial Times (FT) reported on the 17th (local time) that a Chinese surveillance drone entered the airspace above the Pratas Islands, Taiwanese territory in the South China Sea, and remained there for four minutes.
According to a Taiwanese national security official, the unmanned drone was the Guizhou WZ-7 Soaring Dragon unmanned aerial vehicle (WZ-7 UAV), nicknamed “Soaring Dragon.” The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan) said in a statement that the drone “flew at an altitude beyond the range of our air‐defense network” and “departed after the Air Defense and Missile Command of the Republic of China Air Force issued a warning over international radio channels.”
Analysts say this incursion by an unmanned drone into Taiwan’s airspace clearly demonstrates that Taiwan is ill‐equipped to counter China’s advanced drone capabilities, and that China has showcased its ability to infringe on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Kitsch Liao, associate director of the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, said, “China has identified yet another vulnerable point,” adding, “Beijing may repeat this behavior to demonstrate that it can enter and exit Taiwan’s airspace with impunity.” Liao warned that China could gradually lower the drone’s altitude, and if Taiwan were to shoot it down, Beijing could use that as a pretext for escalation.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has in recent years conducted large‐scale military exercises to flex its muscles against Taiwan. It has also deployed Navy and Air Force assets near Taiwan to step up patrols.
In addition, China has sent coast guard vessels and armed fishing boats to the outlying islands around Taiwan to provoke it.
The Pratas Islands, whose airspace was violated by the Chinese drone this time, have become a primary target for China over the past year. Located about 420 kilometers south of Taiwan’s main island, the islands sit on a key route that submarines from the U.S. and China would use in the event of a cross‐strait conflict.
Taiwan has declared that it will treat incursions into not only its outlying islands but also its adjacent territorial waters and airspace as acts of aggression and respond firmly. However, its quarterly defense white papers tell a different story, stating only that Taipei is still reviewing how it should respond to such incursions.
This is because a strong response to China’s provocations could spiral into full‐scale war.
Two Taiwanese government officials said they are being “extremely cautious” to prevent tensions around the Pratas Islands from escalating into a broader conflict, and noted that if a serious incident occurs, Taipei would first consult with the U.S.

dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter