Xi Jinping‘s China sent a new type of combat drone to circle Taiwan, the island nation’s defense ministry said, after a U.S. Navy patrol plane flew through the Taiwan Strait on Friday.
What Happened: In the latest uptick in military tensions, Taipei said 19 military aircraft had entered the island’s air defense identification zone in the last 24 hours, including a TB-001 drone, reported Reuters.
According to a map provided by Taiwan, the drone flew around the island nation, first crossing the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines, then up the east of the country before crossing back toward the Chinese coast.
The Chinese state-owned media has reported that the TB-001 drone, which it refers to as the “twin-tailed scorpion,” can carry a heavy weapons payload.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said a P-8A Poseidon aircraft, used for maritime patrol and reconnaissance, traversed the Taiwan Strait in international airspace.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” it said in a statement.
“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Why It Matters: Taiwan and its Western allies have repeatedly warned that Xi is learning from Vladimir Putin‘s war in Ukraine and can attack the island nation soon.
Under Xi, Chinese authorities have been ramping up military and political pressure to try and get Taipei to accept Beijing’s sovereignty, including staging war games near the island and warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense zone.
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