Chinese Drone Tests Taiwanese Positions on Perimeter Island

China is watching Taiwanese positions on Kinmen — a group of Taiwan’s outermost islands, just off the Chinese coast. Videos posted to Chinese social media sites show purportedly Taiwanese troops throwing rocks at what appears to be a drone:

Taiwan’s defense ministry confirmed the authenticity of the video, which it says was captured on August 16, according to Taiwan’s CNA news agency. This recent drone incident is part of a series of similar measures designed to test Taiwan’s response.

CNA’s sources said:

It has been a standard procedure to fire warning flares to repel Chinese drones while refraining from more aggressive measures such as shooting aircraft down to avoid further escalating cross-strait tensions, according to a military source…

Taiwan’s military has regularly reported sightings of Chinese civilian and military drones flying near Kinmen and the neighboring frontline county of Matsu since the beginning of the year.

The Army said it believed the drones were being used by the Chinese side to conduct surveillance of Taiwanese troops stationed at offshore frontline islands and to test the military’s response to such incursions.

Taiwan News reported that Taiwanese officials said the drone did not enter Taiwanese airspace and that the military personnel in the video followed the standard operating procedure here:

A spokesman for the Kinmen Defense Command on Wednesday told Taiwan News that the drone was indeed civilian and was flying over the waters off the coast of Lieyu Township, but did not enter its airspace. The official emphasized that as can be seen in the photo, one of the soldiers is holding a camera in his hand to take photos of the drone, as is the SOP in such situations.

The representative stressed that because the UAV was still offshore, only a radio warning was issued. He said that flares are not fired because the UAV never entered the country’s airspace.