TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's defense minister on Tuesday (Oct. 11) updated the country's definition of a "first strike" to include Chinese military drones that intrude on the country's airspace.

On Oct. 5, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said that the defense ministry has already adjusted the definition of "first strike" to mean any flight by Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan's airspace, which it defines as 12 nautical miles from its coast. During an interpellation session of the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday (Oct. 11), Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Cheng Cheng-chien (鄭正鈐) asked Chiu to further clarify the Ministry of National Defense's policy on "first strike."

Chiu said the policy has changed because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has also been changing its tactics. He said that in the past, an attack with artillery shells or missiles was considered a "first strike."

However, he pointed out that the CCP has changed its strategy and now sends drones across the border "whether there is a reason or not" and causes "great trouble." Therefore, Chiu said that unmanned aerial vehicles, as long as they are "physical entities" that enter Taiwan's airspace, will be regarded as a "first strike."