Taiwan detects Chinese surveillance drone near Pratas Islands in South China Sea

Taiwan said it detected a Chinese reconnaissance drone violating its airspace after it flew into the Pratas Islands in the northern part of the South China Sea, triggering broadcast warnings.

Taiwan’s defence minister on Saturday said the Chinese surveillance drone entered the Pratas Islands at 5.41am, flying for eight minutes at an altitude outside the range of anti-aircraft weapons.

The defence ministry has called the violation of the airspace of the Taiwan-controlled island, which is also known as the Tungsha Islands or the Dongsha Islands, a "provocative and irresponsible" move.

"After our side broadcast warnings on international channels, it departed at 0548," it said in a statement.

"Such highly provocative and irresponsible actions by the People's Liberation Army seriously undermine regional peace and stability, violated international legal norms, and will inevitably be condemned," it added.

Taiwan's armed forces will continue to maintain strict vigilance and monitoring, and will respond in accordance with the routine combat readiness rules, the ministry said.

The Pratas Islands are a coral atoll with an enclosed lagoon. The atoll is also a Taiwanese national park and is only lightly defended by Taiwan’s military. However, it is strategically significant, as it lies just 170 nautical miles southeast of Hong Kong and is administered by Taiwan as part of the Cijin District in Kaohsiung.

The island hosts a Taiwanese Coast Guard and limited military personnel.

China claims Taiwan, a democratically governed island of 23 million people, as its own territory and has long called for the "peaceful reunification" with Taiwan, while it also has a law stating it will resort to "non-peaceful means" to prevent the island's "secession".

Taiwan has rejected the claims and regularly reports Chinese military activity around it.

Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Pratas are viewed by some security experts as vulnerable to a Chinese attack because of their distance - more than 400 km - from mainland Taiwan.

China is yet to respond to the claims.

It comes as China is fuming over a new trade agreement between Taiwan and the US that lowers tariffs on Taipei’s exports.

The Chinese foreign ministry said it “firmly opposes countries having diplomatic relations with China and China’s Taiwan region signing any agreement that carries sovereign connotations and an official nature with China’s Taiwan region”.

The agreement cuts US tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15 per cent in exchange for $250bn in new investments in the US tech industry.