Taiwan’s Defense Ministry Reports Chinese Military Surveillance Balloon Over Taiwan Strait

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The Defense Ministry of Taiwan has reported the sighting of a Chinese military surveillance balloon traversing the Taiwan Strait, accompanied by significant movements of military aircraft and naval vessels.

On Thursday night, the ministry observed the balloon moving southwest past Keelung, a northern port city, before it proceeded eastward and vanished, potentially into the Pacific Ocean.

The balloon’s direct association with the People’s Liberation Army, the armed wing of China’s Communist Party, remains unclear. The ministry alternately described it as a “PLA surveillance balloon” and “1 PRC’s balloon,” with “PRC” standing for the People’s Republic of China, the nation’s formal designation.

No further details were provided by a spokesperson of the Defense Ministry.

China often obscures the distinction between military and civilian roles, as seen in the South China Sea with its substantial maritime militia. These are ostensibly civilian fishing vessels acting on government directives to enforce China’s territorial claims.

Taiwan has previously warned of shooting down such balloons, but the ministry did not disclose any specific response to this incident. The balloon was tracked at a height of about 6,400 meters (21,000 feet).

In the preceding 24 hours, Taiwan detected 26 Chinese military planes and 10 naval ships. Fifteen of these aircraft crossed the median line, an informal division between the territories, which Beijing does not acknowledge. Some aircraft also entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, extending over the 160 kilometer-wide (100 mile-wide) Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan responded by deploying combat aircraft, naval vessels, and land-based missile systems. This incident occurs just over a month before Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections, raising questions about China’s potential influence on the electoral process.

These frequent incursions serve as a reminder of China’s threat to forcefully integrate Taiwan, a self-governing island republic it claims as its own. Such actions aim to strain Taiwan’s military resources and affect the morale of its military and public, who are largely indifferent to China’s maneuvers.

As a result, Taiwan has increased its aircraft purchases from the United States, its primary ally, and has revitalized its defense industry, including submarine production.

Beijing vehemently opposes any interactions between Taiwan and the U.S. However, its assertive diplomatic stance has inadvertently fostered robust bipartisan support for Taipei in the U.S. Congress.

In response to similar incidents, U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged stricter measures to track, monitor, and if necessary, shoot down unidentified aerial objects. This follows heightened tensions earlier in the year due to a suspected Chinese spy balloon traversing the U.S., which was eventually shot down. The U.S. recovered advanced surveillance equipment from the balloon, labeling it a military aircraft. China, however, claimed it was a stray weather balloon and criticized the U.S. response as excessive.

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More about Taiwan-China Tensions

• Taiwan’s Defense Ministry Surveillance Report
• Chinese Military Activities in Taiwan Strait
• Taiwan-China Military Tensions
• Taiwan’s Air and Naval Defense Responses
• Cross-Strait Relations and Election Implications
• U.S. Policy on Taiwan-China Relations