Taiwanese military confirms for first time PLA drones crossed Taiwan Strait median line
- It is the first time that UAVs from mainland China are known to have crossed the unofficial line that divides the strait
- Drone made crossing along with warplanes on Thursday, while more sorties were logged on Friday and Saturday
Taiwan’s defence ministry said 45 PLA aircraft flew around Taiwan on Thursday, 25 of which crossed the median line, including a BT-100 unmanned aerial vehicle. It also confirmed that more drones had crossed the line on Friday and Saturday.
On Monday, it said another PLA drone – identified as a BZK-007 – had entered Taiwan’s southwest air defence identification zone, a rare revelation of the model and its flight route.
The median line of the Taiwan Strait – which separates mainland China and Taiwan and connects the East and South China seas – was demarcated by Benjamin Davis Jnr, a senior US air force commander, in 1955 and Washington then pressured both sides to enter into a tacit agreement not to cross it.
Beijing sees the island as part of China and has never ruled out the use of force to take control under the one-China policy. The US, in common with many states, does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but opposes any attempt to take the island by force.
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