Leaked US documents show China now has a supersonic drone to spy on Taiwan
Two weeks back, a series of documents from the US military and other departments were leaked on social media. One of the documents reveals that the Chinese military may soon deploy a high-altitude spy drone that travels at least three times the speed of sound.
A secret document from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency of the US shows the Chinese military is making technological advances that could help it target American warships around Taiwan and military bases in the region, reported The Washington Post.
The revelation of the document comes at a time when military tensions between mainland China and Taiwan are on the rise. China has been threatening Taiwan over the independence call in the island nation and even released a video last week showing what an attack on the country would look like.
What we know about the supersonic spy drone
According to The Post, the document, which is a US military assessment, features satellite imagery dated August 9, 2022, that shows two WZ-8 rocket-propelled reconnaissance drones at an air base in eastern China, about 560km inland from Shanghai.
The documents say the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had "almost certainly" established its first unmanned aerial vehicle unit at the base, which falls under the Eastern Theater Command, the branch of the Chinese military responsible for enforcing Beijing's sovereignty claims over Taiwan.
A threat to Taiwan
The documents also show possible flight paths for the drone as well as for the twin-engine H6-M Badger bomber used to launch it. It shows that the fighter plane after taking off from its home air base would fly to China's east coast before releasing the stealthy drone, which could then enter Taiwanese or South Korean airspace at a height of 100,000 feet and fly three times the speed of sound, the newspaper reported.
The documents were accessed by The Post on Discord, a group chat service popular with gamers, where the US Airman allegedly leaked the documents first.
Spying allegations against China
There have been numerous reports and allegations of China engaging in espionage activities in various countries around the world. These activities may include stealing intellectual property, conducting cyber-attacks, and infiltrating government and corporate networks to gather sensitive information.
The US recently shot down a giant high-altitude balloon belonging to China over the South Carolina coastline. US intelligence officials believed it was a spy balloon.
Chinese app Tik Tok, the popular short-form video hosting service, has become a cause of concern for many countries. India completely banned this video-making app in 2020 and after the US decided to ban it from government devices, the US, Canada, and the European Union have also barred its existence on official devices over security concerns.
Another high-profile case involved Chinese telecom giant Huawei, which has been accused of being a tool of the Chinese government for conducting espionage activities. Several countries, including the US, have banned Huawei from their 5G networks over concerns about potential security risks.
The China-Taiwan issue
The China-Taiwan issue concerns the long-standing political dispute over the sovereignty of Taiwan. The Chinese government has claimed Taiwan as part of its territory and seeks reunification with the island, while the government of Taiwan considers itself an independent, democratic state with its own government, economy, and military.
The origins of the dispute date back to 1949, when the Chinese Civil War ended with the Communist Party taking control of mainland China and the defeated Nationalist Party retreating to Taiwan. Since then, the Chinese government has maintained that Taiwan is an integral part of China, while the government of Taiwan has resisted efforts to reunify with the mainland, fearing that this would threaten its political and economic independence.
The US has provided significant military support to Taiwan and has pledged to help defend the island in the event of an attack. Last year US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan led to tensions between the US and China
The situation remains complex and potentially volatile and China has been conducting military drills to show that it controls the region. In the last few weeks, Chinese air and sea drills simulated an encirclement of Taiwan.
The three days of large-scale air and sea exercises named Joint Sword that ended Monday were a response to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California last week, reported AP.