According to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, two Chinese balloons crossed the demarcation line between the island and China. The two balloons crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait on January 1. Sightings of Chinese balloons in Taiwan began last month as the island prepares for the January 13 presidential election.
The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that it had detected two Chinese balloons having crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait which separates the island from mainland China the day before. The two balloons crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait on January 1 at two different locations, one near the city of Chiayi in the west of the island, the other in the north at Keelung.
The first balloon headed east, flying over the island, according to a graph provided by the ministry. The two machines which were operating at “an altitude of approximately 30,000 and 32,000 feet (between 9 and 10 km)” were heading “towards the North-East” before disappearing, according to the press release.
Sightings of Chinese balloons in Taiwan began last month as the island prepares for the January 13 presidential election. Taipei had already indicated on December 8 and 18 that balloons had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
A politically sensitive subject
Chinese balloons have become a politically sensitive subject since last February, when the United States shot down what it called a spy balloon after it flew over its territory. Beijing, for its part, claimed that it was a civilian airship that had deviated from its trajectory.
In recent years, China has intensified its military and political pressure on Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory.