In the latest geopolitical escalation - because let's face it, all that's left now for the global geopolitical chaos to be complete is for Beijing to finally launch its much anticipated invasion of Taiwan - China sent a military drone into Taiwanese airspace for the first time, underscoring Beijing’s efforts to test the island's defenses.

The Chinese reconnaissance drone flew in the airspace of Pratas Island for about four minutes early Saturday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The islet is near the southern end of the strait, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Taiwan’s main island.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was a WZ-7 known as ‘Soaring Dragon’ according to a Taiwanese national security official. It flew at an “altitude outside the range of our air defence weapons and left following warnings Taipei broadcast via international radio channels”, Taiwan’s defence ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that the drone flew above the range of air defense weapons, adding that it left after warnings were broadcast over international radio frequencies. In 2022, Taiwan downed a Chinese civilian drone that flew near another one of its offshore outposts, Kinmen.

China’s military said on social media the aircraft conducted “legitimate and lawful” training.

According to the FT, analysts said the move highlighted Taiwan’s difficulties in countering China’s high-end drone capabilities and allowed Beijing to further undermine the country’s sovereignty.

“China has found another soft spot,” said Kitsch Liao, an associate director at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub. “They can repeat this to demonstrate that they can enter Taiwan airspace with impunity. And what do you do if they start flying lower and lower? If you decide to shoot the drone down when it comes into range, China can blame Taiwan because it didn’t do anything before.”

Increasingly often China also harasses Taiwan’s outlying islands with its coastguard and maritime militia — armed fishing vessels that carry out paramilitary missions. Pratas has become a preferred target for those operations over the past year. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s coastguard published footage of two Chinese coastguard ships approaching the atoll. It is located about 420km from southern Taiwan, in waters both US and Chinese submarines would have to pass through in a potential future conflict.

The latest drone incident highlights China’s efforts to militarily intimidate Taiwan. Taipei rejects Beijing’s claims to its territory, and under President Lai Ching-te has stepped up efforts to bolster its defenses to deter any attack.

Last month, the People’s Liberation Army held live-fire drills around Taiwan after the US announced an $11 billion arms package for Taipei, one of the biggest ever. The PLA has in recent years held large-scale military exercises with the declared goal of intimidating Taiwan. It has also launched increasingly frequent naval and air patrols which are growing in scale and gradually moving closer to Taiwan. 

US and Taiwanese government officials believe that, while the US might help defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese attack, it would not intervene over Pratas, which is part of Tapei’s disputed claim to sovereignty over the South China Sea as a legacy of the Republic of China.

Under US domestic law, Washington is required to provide Taiwan with the weapons needed to defend itself and to maintain the capacity of the US to resist any force or coercion that would jeopardise Taiwan’s security.

“China could severely weaken Taiwan’s morale and confidence in defending itself if it got away with seizing Pratas,” said a foreign military official in Asia.

Taiwan’s defense minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers in 2024 that the country’s armed forces would view the unauthorized entry of any Chinese military aircraft, ship or other asset into Taiwan’s territorial airspace or waters as a “first strike” against which Taiwan could order a counterstrike in self-defense. But according to Taiwan’s latest quadrennial defence review published last March, the military is still working on rules which would spell out under what circumstances frontline officers would be empowered to order such a move.

Two Taiwanese officials said Taipei would exercise “extreme caution” to avoid any incident at Pratas sparking a broader conflict. “We would consult with our ally,” one of the officials said, referring to the US.  

Also Saturday, the Chinese military said in a statement on social media that it tracked the USS John Finn, a guided-missile destroyer, and a US oceanographic survey vessel as they passed through the Taiwan Strait. The US usually sends warships through the busy shipping lane following major Chinese military maneuvers.