Tensions are rising: Taiwan spots Chinese balloons off island for second day in a row
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said on Sunday, February 11, that it had detected eight Chinese balloons crossing the Taiwan Strait over the previous day, five of which flew over the island. Taipei records balloons for the second day in a row
China, according to Reuters.
In its daily report on China’s military activity, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said it spotted the first balloon on Saturday, February 10, in the morning, and the last one in the middle of the day.
The island’s Defense Ministry also recorded eight bullets on Friday, February 9.
Five of them crossed the northern and central part of Taiwan.
Last month, the Chinese government dismissed Taiwan’s repeated complaints about the balloons, saying they were for meteorological purposes.
Taiwan, which Beijing considers its territory, despite the strong denials of the government in Taipei, has been complaining about Chinese balloons since December last year, calling them a threat to aviation safety and an attempt to wage “psychological warfare.”
The possibility of China using balloons for espionage became a global issue last February when the United States shot down what it claimed was a Chinese surveillance balloon. Beijing claimed that it was a civilian aircraft that had accidentally gone off course.
