By Deutsche Welle (Asia) | Created at 2024-11-25 09:33:43 | Updated at 2024-11-26 17:35:41
1 day ago
Taiwan said on Monday that it had detected a Chinese balloon over the sea northwest of the island.
It is the first time since April that Taiwan has reported such an incident.
What do we know so far?
The balloon was sighted at 6:21 pm local time (11:21 a.m. CET/10:21 a.m. UTC) on Sunday about 111 kilometers (69 miles) to the north of Keelung port, Taiwan's defense ministry said in its daily update on Chinese military activities.
The balloon entered the island's air defense identification zone, the ministry said.
It flew for some two hours at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,000 meters) before disappearing, the ministry added.
The incident comes as China maintains pressure on Taiwan, as Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its own territory rather than an independent nation.
China holds new round of war games around Taiwan
No comment yet from China
There was no immediate statement from China.
In the weeks ahead of Taiwan's January presidential election, Taipei had said that Chinese balloon activity took place at an "unprecedented scale."
Taiwan describes the balloons as a form of "grey zone" harassment, a maneuver that falls short of an act of war.
Beijing, however, has dismissed Taipei's complaints about the balloons, saying that the objects were for meteorological purposes and should not be exaggerated for political reasons.
The threat of China using the balloons for spying became a global issue in 2023 when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon.
China said it was a civilian craft blown astray.
dvv/wd (AFP, Reuters)
