Any Chinese “spy” balloon flying through Taiwan’s airspace should be taken down, Democratic Progressive Party caucus director Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said yesterday.
A US fighter jet on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon using an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile after it was detected flying over the US on Thursday.
While China said the balloon ended up in the US’ airspace after being blown off course, the world believes that is unlikely, as China is capable of maneuvering balloon satellites, Cheng said.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
The balloon demonstrates China’s expansionist ambitions, he said.
Instead of using balloons, China has been openly carrying out actual threats against Taiwan that involve military aircraft, naval vessels and even missiles, Cheng said.
Some pro-unification advocates in Taiwan considered the incident an opportunity for Taiwan to show friendliness to China, which was “a terrible insult to Taiwan,” he said.
Their view also sent the wrong signal regarding Taiwan’s international status and sovereignty, and could undermine the international community’s respect for the nation, Cheng said.
China’s ambition to invade Taiwan is more serious than sending in a balloon, he said.
“If a Chinese spy balloon drifted into Taiwan’s territory, I would say it should be shot down,” Cheng said, adding that shooting down the device would not be an act of provocation, as “it should not be there in the first place.”
He called on all political parties to take a united stand on the matter to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty, dignity, democratic system, economic development and way of life.
Separately, Institute of National Defense and Security Research director Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) and Defence International magazine director Chen Kuo-ming (陳國銘) on Sunday said that high-altitude surveillance balloons can detect and collect atmospheric data related to artillery.
The US waited until the balloon flew to the open sea before shooting it down to ensure the safety of the people on the ground, which is worth learning from, they said.
However, whether using missiles to shoot down a balloon is cost-effective requires further deliberation, they said.
The Ministry of National Defense said that a Chinese meteorological balloon passed over northern and central Taiwan shortly after the Lunar New Year holiday in February last year, adding that it did not shoot it down, but had at the time closely monitored it.
The military monitors all aerial devices, including balloons, around Taiwan and would react accordingly, it said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to