China has ramped up its naval surveillance around Taiwan, with a highly sophisticated drone carrier making repeated incursions into waters off the Taiwanese coast, the Financial Times reported.
The Zhu Hai Yun, a cutting-edge research vessel with links to the Chinese military, was found to have intruded in Taiwanese waters nine times since September, a significant uptick on previous incursions, tracking data analyzed by the FT showed.
The artificial intelligence-controlled ship is unmanned and capable of carrying tens of drones and submersibles. It scours the ocean collecting information on maritime conditions such as ocean currents – data also used in naval warfare, the FT noted.
The incursions come as tensions between Taipei and Beijing remain high following recent elections won by Taiwan’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party. China regards the self-governed island as a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to reconcile it with the mainland.
