Taiwan discovers Chinese balloon off its coast
Chinese fighter jets fly almost daily near the Taiwanese coast. The People's Republic counts the island state as part of its territory. Now Taiwan has discovered a weather balloon - until it suddenly disappears.
According to the Taiwanese armed forces, they have discovered a Chinese weather balloon off the coast of the island state. The balloon crossed the median line in the strait between Taiwan and China on Thursday afternoon, the Ministry of Defense in the capital Taipei announced in a statement. According to the ministry, the aircraft was at an altitude of 21,000 feet (about 6,400 meters) and about 101 nautical miles (about 187 kilometers) from the city of Keelung when it was discovered. One hour later, at 12:55 p.m., the balloon disappeared again.
"According to our initial findings, it was a homing balloon," Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters in parliament. It was "probably" used for unknown measurements. According to Chiu, seasonal winds may have driven the balloon so far east.
The incident is reminiscent of a suspected Chinese spy balloon that was discovered over US territory earlier this year. Beijing explained at the time that it was merely a drifting balloon for scientific purposes. A US fighter jet nevertheless shot down the balloon after flying over the US East Coast for several days. Following an investigation, the US Department of Defense announced in June that the balloon had not collected any intelligence information.
Almost daily military exercises
Taiwan reports daily on Chinese military activities off its coast. However, balloon discoveries are rare in the reports. China's military exercises almost daily off the coast of Taiwan with fighter planes and warships. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense reported 15 jets entering the island republic's air defense zone within 24 hours. A total of 26 military aircraft and 10 Chinese navy ships were detected around Taiwan. Taiwan's armed forces had been monitoring the situation, it said.
For Beijing, Taiwan is a renegade province, which dates back to the Chinese Civil War between 1927 and 1949. The People's Republic, which is ruled by the Communist Party, therefore considers the island to be part of China's territory, even though Taipei has an independent government. According to experts, China's daily exercises are likely to test Taiwan's military capabilities and tire out the armed forces.
Internationally, there are fears of war. China has already threatened to invade if "reunification" is not possible. A conflict in the region, through which important trade routes run, would have a serious impact on the global economy.
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Source: www.ntv.de
