Taipei, June 13 (EFE).- A Chinese Army drone flew over the southern and eastern regions of Taiwan, passing just 39 nautical miles (72 kilometers) from Hualien county, on the eastern coast of the island, reported this Thursday the Ministry of National Defense (MDN) of Taiwan.
The aircraft began its journey at 02:27 hours on Wednesday (18:27 GMT on Tuesday) and ended at 11:05 hours on the same day (03:05 GMT on Wednesday), the military ministry said in its last part. diary, in which no further details about the vehicle are offered.
In the last 24 hours, the MDN detected a total of 23 Chinese warplanes around the island, of which 15 crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait and another three entered the southwestern region of the self-proclaimed Identification Zone. Taiwanese Air Defense Department (ADIZ).
“The Armed Forces of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) have monitored the situation and have employed fighter aircraft, Navy ships and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities,” the ministry said in a statement.
During recent months, Chinese warplanes have tightened their encirclement around Taiwan even more, forcing the island government to update its definition of “first strike” to adapt it to this new reality.
Last week, Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said that if Chinese forces enter Taiwan’s airspace or territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) from its coasts, or undertake a first attack against the island, the Army can exercise the right to self-defense and launch counterattacks in response.
Taiwan – where the Chinese nationalist Kuomintang army retreated after defeat by communist troops in the civil war – has been governed autonomously since 1949, but China claims sovereignty over the island, which it considers a rebellious province. for whose “reunification” he has not ruled out the use of force. EFE
jacb/aa/rrt
