Taiwan vows counter-attack if Chinese forces enter its territory

Taiwan has vowed to counter-attack Chinese forces if it enters its territory. The tension between the two countries escalated after the visit of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwan said on Wednesday it would exercise its right to self-defence and counter-attack if Chinese armed forces entered its territory, as Beijing increased military activities near the democratically governed island.

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own against the strong objections of the Taipei government, has held military exercises around the island this month in reaction to a visit to Taipei by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwanese defence officials said China's "high intensity" military patrols near Taiwan continued and Beijing's intention to make the Taiwan Strait separating the two sides its "inner sea" would become the main source of instability in the region.

"For aircraft and ships that entered our sea and air territory of 12 nautical miles, the national army will exercise right to self-defence and counter-attack without exception," Lin Wen-Huang, Taiwan's deputy chief of the general staff for operations and planning, told reporters.

Taiwan has complained of Chinese drones repeatedly flying close to its small groups of islands near China's coast.

The military would exercise the same right to counter-attack Chinese drones that did not heed warnings to leave Taiwanese territory after posing threats, Lin added.

Taiwan fired warning shots at a Chinese drone for the first time on Tuesday shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take "strong countermeasures" against what she termed Chinese provocations.