Four Chinese balloons drifted across the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, three of which crossed over Taiwan proper, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Wednesday, following two more sightings the day before.
The balloons all drifted northeast and disappeared at 10:48am, 5:18pm, 7:01pm and 7:02pm on Tuesday, the ministry said.
They were floating at altitudes of 12,000 feet (3,658m), 18,000 feet (5,486m), 22,000 feet (6,706m) and 24,000 feet (7,315m) respectively, it added.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
It comes a day after two other balloons were sighted on Monday, one of which crossed over Taiwan proper. It was also the ninth time Chinese balloons had been detected since last month.
Ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) did not say whether the military believed the latest balloons detected were for weather or espionage purposes, but the ministry has said previously that most Chinese balloons flying in the area were weather balloons.
The military closely monitors the balloons' movements and informs related civil aviation authorities for the sake of aviation safety, Sun said.
"The nation's armed forces will respond appropriately to unidentified balloons found entering Taiwan's airspace based on the level of threat they pose to Taiwan's security," he said, without elaborating.
In the 24 hours ending at 6am on Wednesday, the ministry also detected nine Chinese People’s Liberation Army aircraft and four navy vessels operating near Taiwan.
Two of the aircraft — a Xi’an JH-7 bomber and a Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone — crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait into the nation’s north and southwest air defense identification zone, the ministry said.
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