For the First Time, Taiwan Shot Down Something That Entered Its Airspace

Taiwan has had enough of Chinese civilian drones flying around its airspace. For the first time, the territory has shot down a foreign object that entered its airspace. At 4:00 a.m. on September 1, 2022, Taipei's military shot down a civilian drone that entered the airspace over Taiwanese-controlled Lion Islet, otherwise known as Shihyu Islet, a small rock island very close to China's mainland. 

According to a Rappler report, Taiwanese troops on the islet tried warning it away but to no effect, so shot it down, with the remains landing in the sea.

Location of Lion Islet Where Taiwan Shot Down a Civilian Drone

Photo by Google Maps.

Lion Islet in 2014

Photo by Rheins, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59092629.

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Taiwan maintains a small force on the islet, which has since become a geopolitical symbol of the relationship between Beijing and Taipei. From time to time, incidents occur on the island. In 2016, a Chinese man was arrested by the Taiwanese military after he paddled on a plastic boat to the island. 

Lion Islet lies just 3.5 kilometers from Xiamen, the nearest Chinese city. In August, China conducted multiple military drills around Lion Islet in response to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei. 

Lion Islet is Taiwan's smallest military outpost in the South China Sea. It is part of Taiwan's Kinmen County, a group of islands considered tourist attractions and potential flashpoints with China.