Drone Overlooking Frontline Military Base... Taiwan Requests Control from China

Chinese YouTuber Posts 1 Minute 57 Second Video
"Filming Distribution and Cargo Handling... Discovered Late Due to Backlighting"

A video filmed by a Chinese YouTuber using a civilian drone capturing a Taiwanese military unit in the frontline area of Taiwan has resurfaced.

According to Taiwanese media outlets Liberty Times and United Daily News on the 31st, a 1 minute and 57 seconds video was uploaded on YouTube on the 29th showing the Taiwanese Army’s Erlan Island (二膽島) Defense Battalion under the Kinmen Defense Command, located on an islet affiliated with Jinmen Dao.

Taiwanese soldiers filmed by a Chinese drone [Photo captured from the YouTube channel '20 Years of Star Research.']

The video titled "Taiwan Fleeing in Panic from Chinese Drone" was filmed by a YouTuber from Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China, at around 1:10 PM on the 29th using a Chinese-made DJI drone on Erlan Island, which is 4.5 km away from Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China, and was released that morning.

The video captures Taiwanese soldiers resting after completing supply duties.

The Kinmen Defense Command of the Taiwanese Army stated regarding the video, "A Chinese drone filmed the Taiwanese military’s supply and unloading operations from a long distance," adding, "Due to the backlight situation with the sun behind the drone, the soldiers likely did not notice it in time."

They further stated that continuous monitoring of similar situations is being conducted, and that overall safety will be ensured through response measures according to the level of threat, based on the principle of exercising the right to self-defense.

The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense pointed out that such provocative acts by some irrational Chinese netizens could lead to misjudgments, emphasizing that if confrontations occur without proper control measures by Chinese authorities, it would not help regional peace and stability at all.

Previously, in August 2022, a video showing a Taiwanese soldier stationed on the frontline island Erlan Island throwing stones at a Chinese drone flying over military facilities instead of using firearms was released on Bilibili, known as the "Chinese version of YouTube," sparking controversy.

Since then, the Taiwanese military has upgraded the rank of the officer responsible for the strategic area where Chinese drones frequently appear to major, and has strengthened defense capabilities by deploying "anti-drone guns" that emit jamming signals to 45 major bases across Taiwan.

The Taiwanese military allocated a budget of $146 million USD (approximately 195 billion KRW) in 2022 for the purchase of drone defense equipment.