Multiple Chinese spy balloons were spotted, again, over Taiwan's airspace. These aircraft sightings happened just days after the self-governed island nation conducted its controversial presidential election.
The Taiwanese government announced the detection of six Chinese spy balloons on Monday, Jan. 22, saying that they flew through the island's airspace just north of it.
Another alarming thing about this is that authorities also spotted numerous Chinese navy ships, as well as warplanes in the same area. Here are other details shared by Taiwan's Defense Ministry.
Multiple Chinese Spy Balloons Spotted Over Taiwan's Airspace
The Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan said that the six Chinese balloons were included on a list of Chinese PLA (People's Liberation Army) activities across the airspace and waters around Taiwan.
One of them passed near Pingtung. Meanwhile, the remaining Chinese aircraft flew to the location where Taiwan has an important naval base; north of the port of Keelung, as reported by ABC News.
As of writing, Taiwan's defense ministry hasn't confirmed if these balloons are really used for explicit military activities. However, experts claimed that they could be part of China's harassment campaign against the small island nation.
Between Jan. 21 and Jan. 22, Taiwanese defense officials said that they detected four Chinese navy ships, as well as four warplanes. They monitored these vessels and aircraft from China using their navy vessels, combat aircraft, and land-based missile systems.
This just shows that Chinese balloon sightings are increasing further, especially since Taiwan conducted its presidential election, which was opposed by Beijing.
During the last months of 2023, Taiwan also saw numerous Chinese spy balloon sightings. Because of this, Taipei said that it will start handling these aircraft based on their threat levels.
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Why China Sends Surveillance Balloons Over Taiwan
According to Newsweek's recent report, the Chinese use these controversial high-altitude balloons and airships for intelligence-gathering activities.
Taiwan's defense ministry said that these balloons are being used for high-altitude scientific research or meteorological observations.
But, Taipei said these during its initial assessment. Since China was continuously sending its high-altitude balloons before the presidential election, many Taiwanese officials believed they could be planning to disrupt the political event.
Ever since these sightings, Taiwan has been more vigilant whenever it spots Chinese spy balloons flying over its waters and airspace.
