Political | Process

China on Monday dismissed complaints from Taiwan about repeated harassment by Chinese drones very close to Taiwanese-controlled islands as not anything “to make a fuss about”, prompting Taipei to label Beijing as thieves.

President Joe Biden’s administration and U.S. lawmakers stress their ongoing support for the government in Taipei, and there are items in the approval pipeline for Taiwan that could be announced in the coming weeks or months, Reuters reported last week.

Video from at least two of these drone missions has circulated widely on Chinese social media. In one, Taiwanese soldiers can be seen throwing rocks to ward it away.

Speaking at a daily briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said he had seen the footage.

“Chinese drones flying about Chinese territory, this is not something to make a fuss about,” he said.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed anger at his comments.

But the focus will be on sustaining Taiwan’s current military systems and fulfilling existing orders – rather than offering new capabilities more likely to inflame already red-hot tensions with China, according to three sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Two U.S. Navy warships sailed through international waters in the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the first such operation since Pelosi’s visit, though it has been conducting similar passages on a monthly basis.

Taiwan has controlled Kinmen, along with the Matsu islands further up China’s coast, since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taipei after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s Communists in 1949.

At its closest point, Chinese-controlled territory is only a few hundred meter’s from Kinmen.

China has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.

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