Any Chinese incursion will be treated as 'first strike', Taiwan warns

Island's defence minister says China has 'destroyed' tacit agreement on Taiwan Strait

Taiwan warned that it would treat any Chinese incursion into the island's airspace as a "first strike", as Taipei seeks to deter Beijing from ratcheting up military pressure around the island.

Defence Minister Chiu Kuocheng told lawmakers in Taipei that the ministry is taking such incursions more seriously after a recent spate of closer flights by Chinese warplanes and drones.

Asked whether any warplane's violation of Taiwan's airspace would be viewed as a first strike, he said "yes", without elaborating on what the response would be.

"In the past, we said we won't be the first to strike, which meant we won't do it without them firing artillery shells or missiles, et cetera, first," Mr. Chiu said on Wednesday.

"But now the definition has obviously changed, as China used means like drones. So we have adjusted and will view any crossing of aircraft or vessels as a first strike."