A Chinese hot air balloon flew over the surroundings of Taiwan this Sunday afternoon, marking the first movement of this type in more than seven months, according to the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense (MDN).
In its last daily report, the military portfolio notified the presence of a hot air balloon from China at an altitude of 30,000 feet (about 10,054 meters).
The device income in the Taiwanese Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) at 18:21 local time (10:21 GMT) on Sunday and He disappeared at 8:15 p.m. (12:15 GMT) of the same daypassing 111 kilometers northwest of the northern city of Keelung, where an important military base is located.
The MDN first reported the presence of a Chinese hot air balloon beyond the Strait boundary on December 8.
Taiwan has since detected 103 hot air balloons in the vicinity of its territory, shipments that, according to the island Government, are part of the “gray zone” tactics undertaken by the Chinese Army to instill fear among the population.
The incursion of this balloon took place a few days after the Chinese Minister of Defense, Dong Jun, refused to meet with his US counterpart, Lloyd Austin, during the summit of defense ministers. Defense of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Laos, due to disagreements over Taiwan.
Likewise, former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen (2016-2024) participated over the weekend in the annual meeting of the Halifax International Security Forum (HISF)in Canada, where he urged the US Government to maintain its military aid to Ukraine, since Taiwan, he stated, still has “time”.
Over the past few years, China’s regime has progressively increased its pressure on Taiwan, an island governed autonomously since 1949 and considered by Beijing to be a “rebellious province.”
Tensions between both parties have intensified following the inauguration of sovereignist William Lai as the new Taiwanese president on May 20.
More than 40 Chinese military aircraft operated around Taiwan over the past 48 hours, moves that took place after China accused the United States of undermining Beijing’s “core interests” regarding the Taiwanese issue.
In its latest daily report, the Ministry of National Defense (MDN) of Taiwan indicated that a total of 25 aircraft flew over the surroundings of the island between 6:00 a.m. local time on Friday (22:00 GMT on Thursday) and 6:00 a.m.: 00 local time on Saturday (22:00 GMT on Friday).
Of the total number of aircraft reported, thirteen crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border that had been respected for decades, and entered the southwestern and southeastern region of the self-proclaimed Taiwanese ADIZ.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has since detected more than 3,100 Chinese Army aircraft operating in the vicinity of the island, of which 2,212 crossed the dividing line of the Strait.
(with information from EFE)
