Taiwanese authorities have opened a research and development center for unmanned aerial vehicles.

The center, which brings together industry, government and academia, is located in the southern county of Chiayi.

Facilities have been set up by private drone makers, defense ministry-affiliated agencies and universities. The aim is to explore cutting-edge drone technologies combining artificial intelligence and other applications.

An opening ceremony was held on Saturday. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen as well as the defense minister and other officials were in attendance.

Tsai said Russia's invasion of Ukraine has shown the importance of unmanned aerial vehicles, and she expects the UAV industry to grow in importance.

She went on to say that Taiwan will actively boost its capabilities to defend itself and cope with the disparity in military power with China.

Taiwan's move comes as Ukraine is reportedly using drones effectively to repel Russian attacks.

Taiwan is apparently trying to speed up efforts to establish a system to mass produce high-performance drones on its own, as China is increasing its military pressure on Taiwan.

China has a large share of the commercial drone market. But Taiwanese authorities and manufacturers see growing opportunities for Taiwan in terms of its supply chain safety and reliability.