Chinese Military Drones Circle Taiwan For Hours After Japan-Philippines Drills

Taiwan said on Saturday that, after joint Japan-Philippines drills in adjacent waters, two Chinese military drones circled the island for hours. Taiwan’s defense ministry said that the drones circled the island from noon until nine o’clock in the afternoon, getting as near as 43 nautical miles (or about 80 km) to Cape Eluanbi, which is Taiwan’s southernmost point. They had crossed the median line across the Taiwan Strait.

Other PLA drones and fighter jets were also in the southwest of the island between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. in addition to these drones. The ministry did not specify the types of aircraft involved, although there were a total of 18 engaged. 36 PLA aircraft and 12 vessels were identified during the course of a 24-hour period beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday. Of these, 31 aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan’s air defense zones in different regions. This coincided with the first joint exercise between Japan and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea, the portion of the South China Sea closest to the Philippines, and marked the highest level of PLA action in the Taiwan area in three weeks.

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, observed that he couldn’t recall prior public reports of multiple drones circling Taiwan entirely. If this is indeed a first, it signifies an escalation in China’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions targeting Taiwan. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, suggested that the drones were likely conducting a reconnaissance mission focused on the Japan-Philippines exercise. The drones might have been collecting electronic spectrum signals and information on nearby weapons and equipment.

PLA drones, typically deployed for strategic and tactical reconnaissance, provide manned aircraft with a clearer picture of the intelligence landscape. While full island surveillance missions by PLA drones are rare, such operations have become more routine. Last year, similar activities were reported, with drones conducting long-endurance and long-range reconnaissance missions near Taiwan. These drone patrols, according to Koh, aim to assess Taiwan’s defenses, evaluating its responsiveness and capability to handle threats from multiple directions. This focus aligns with Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait and surrounding airspace, where China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, maintaining that reunification by force remains a possible option if necessary.