Taiwan shot down a civilian drone amid ongoing tensions with China. Soldiers shot down the unmanned aerial vehicle near Taiwan’s Kinmen Island, a few kilometers from mainland China, on Thursday, Taiwanese armed forces said. Warnings were given before the drone was shot down, the military said. Overflights of small civilian drones have recently been reported more and more frequently around Kinmen. Soldiers fired warning shots for the first time on Tuesday.
China sees the democratically governed island as part of the People’s Republic. Taiwan, on the other hand, sees itself as independent.
A visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan in early August sparked serious tensions with China. Beijing began large-scale maneuvers around the island republic. A sea and air blockade and a possible conquest were practiced. Nevertheless, other delegations with US politicians traveled to Taiwan shortly afterwards.
Also on Thursday, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-Wen received a visitor from the USA with Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey. Tsai announced that he intends to further expand cooperation with the USA. She particularly emphasized cooperation in the chip industry. The Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC is currently building a new plant in Arizona for twelve billion US dollars.
