Taiwan's defense ministry reported detecting a Chinese balloon off its northern coast on Monday, marking the first such sighting in six months. The incident is seen as part of Beijing's ongoing efforts to pressure Taiwan ahead of its presidential election.
Taiwan's defence ministry reported on Monday that a Chinese balloon was spotted over the sea to the north of Taiwan, marking the first such incident since April. Taiwan views this as part of Beijing's ongoing harassment campaign. In the lead-up to Taiwan's presidential election in January, Taipei expressed concerns about the unprecedented scale of Chinese balloon activity, calling it a tactic of "grey-zone warfare" meant to wear down opponents through irregular means rather than open conflict.
China claims Taiwan as its territory, but Taiwan firmly rejects this, stating that only its people can decide the island's future.
According to Taiwan's defence update, the balloon was detected on Sunday at 6:21 p.m. (1021 GMT) about 60 nautical miles (111 km) north of Keelung port. The balloon disappeared roughly two hours later after flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,000 meters), without crossing Taiwan’s airspace.
China’s defence ministry did not comment on the incident. Previously, Beijing has downplayed Taiwan's concerns about the balloons, claiming they were used for meteorological purposes and shouldn't be politicized. The issue gained global attention last year when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon it said was being used for surveillance. China, however, insisted the balloon was a civilian craft that had drifted off course.
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