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Mysterious balloons over Taiwan
The Taiwanese Defense ministry has reported that three Chinese balloons were spotted flying over the island on Tuesday approaching an airbase.
FILE PHOTO: A person walks next to a fluttering Taiwanese flag outside the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo
Taiwan is observing more and more balloon sightings in the Taiwan Strait, a growing trend that the defense ministry thinks is a Chinese strategy ahead of elections on the island.
In February 2023 a high altitude balloons above the U.S. suspected of used for spying set alarms clock off all around the world. Washington claimed to have shot down a Chinese balloon over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of South Carolina.. Back then the Chinese government explained the balloon was a civilian ship that had accidentally gone off track.
Tensions have been high with Taiwan keeping watch for military and political activities from China, especially before the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for January 13.
In the last month, the Taiwanese defense department regularly reported that there were Chinese balloons flying over the Taiwan Strait. They were said to fly into northern parts of the island and then disappear. In the latest news on Wednesday, the government said they saw four balloons flying over the strait with three of them flying right across Taiwan’s middle line.
The balloons flew 105 nautical miles, 160 nautical miles and 159 nautical miles respectively, to the southwest from Ching Chuan Kang which is a very important air force base.
In reply to the regular balloon events, the Taiwan defense ministry has stated that it keeps a close watch and appropriately responds to such occurrences.
