Taiwan to keep watch on Chinese military activities

Taiwan's Defence Ministry said Wednesday its armed forces will keep a close watch on China's military activities and adopt stronger countermeasures to respond to "intrusions" from Beijing.

It comes after Taiwan's military said it fired live ammunition at drones from China flying over its outposts just off the Chinese coastline on Tuesday.

Taiwan's troops took the action after drones were found hovering over the islands in the Kinmen group near the Chinese city of Xiamen.

Flares were first fired, and the drones ultimately returned to Xiamen.

Speaking at a briefing in Taipei, Major General Wen-Huang Lin, the Director of Operations and Planning for Taiwan's armed forces, said they would continue to "assess the threat level and determine whether to engage the targets and exercise the rights of self-defence" if they detect Chinese UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in Taiwanese airspace.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the sides after China fired missiles and sent planes and ships across the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait earlier this month.

That move came in response to the visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking U.S. dignitary to visit the island in 25 years.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and its recent actions have been viewed as a rehearsal of a possible blockade or invasion.

Defence Ministry spokesperson Major General Li-Fang Sun said China's "hegemonic mentality" undermines regional peace and stability and "damages their own image in the international community."

It also harmed the bond between the people across the Taiwan Strait, Sun said.

China's drills brought strong condemnation from Taiwan's chief ally, the U.S., along with fellow regional democracies such as Australia and Japan.