The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that six Chinese balloons either flew over the nation or through airspace just north of it, while Chinese warplanes and navy ships were also detected in the area.
The dispatch of such balloons, which generally disappear into the Pacific to the east, appears to be on the rise, although their purpose has not been publicly announced.
The ministry noted the balloon sightings on a list of Chinese People’s Liberation Army activity in the waters and airspace around Taiwan. One passed near the southern city of Pingtung, while the others flew just north of the Port of Keelung, an important naval base is located.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
It remains unclear whether the balloons have an explicit military function, but they appear to be part of a campaign of harassment against Taiwan.
In the lead-up to Jan. 13’s presidential and legislative elections, China had been stepping up such activities, along with its rhetorical threats, although Beijing’s threats have generally been seen as backfiring.
The Democratic Progressive Party won a third straight term in the presidency.
US President Joe Biden early last year vowed sharper rules to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects after a three-week drama sparked by the discovery of a suspected Chinese spy balloon transiting much of the US.
Washington labeled the balloon a military craft and shot it down with a missile. It recovered what it said was sophisticated surveillance equipment.
China responded angrily, saying it was only a weather balloon that had blown off course and called its downing a major overreaction.
Those are sometimes referred to as China’s “gray area tactics” that cause consternation among its foes without sparking a direct confrontation. China has long blurred the lines between military and civilian functions, including in the South China Sea, where it operates a huge maritime militia — ostensibly civilian fishing boats that act under government orders to assert Beijing’s territorial claims.
China’s campaign of intimidation against Taiwan includes the regular deployment of Chinese warships and planes in waters and airspace around the nation, often crossing the middle line of the 160km-wide Taiwan Strait that divides them.
Between Sunday and early yesterday morning, four Chinese warplanes and four navy ships were detected around Taiwan, the defense ministry said.
Taiwan’s military monitored the situation with combat aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems, it added.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS