By Ben Blanchard and Faith Hung TAIPEI (Reuters) -Authorities in Taiwan and Bulgaria on Friday denied involvement in the supply chain of thousands of pagers that detonated on Tuesday in Lebanon in a deadly blow to Hezbollah.

"The components for Hezbollah's pagers were not produced by us," Taiwan's economy minister Kuo Jyh-huei told reporters on Friday. He added that a judicial investigation is already underway. "I want to unearth the truth, because Taiwan has never exported this particular pager model," Taiwan foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung said.

The deadly simultaneous explosions triggered by hundreds of pagers carried by Hezbollah members in Lebanon have thrust a little-known Taiwanese electronics manufacturer into the global spotlight, after its damaged products were identified in images following the attack.

Taiwan and the US are looking to kick-start co-operation between their drone companies as part of efforts to build supply chains that do not rely on China. Executives from 26 US m

Many experts argue that China is preparing to seize Taiwan, driven by economic, geopolitical, and historical motivations. The CCP views Taiwan's annexation as a way to solidify its dominance in the Indo-Pacific and erase the legacy of the Chinese Civil War.

China claims it tailed US patrol plane flying through the Taiwan Strait - Chinese warplanes tailed a US military aircraft through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, China’s military said