Taiwan’s defense ministry reported the sighting of a Chinese balloon over the sea north of Taiwan on Sunday evening, the first such incident since April.
The balloon, detected 60 nautical miles (111 km) north of Keelung port at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,000 metres), disappeared two hours later without entering Taiwanese airspace, according to the ministry.
The discovery comes amid heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing, particularly in the run-up to Taiwan’s presidential election in January. Taiwan has accused China of escalating its use of “grey-zone warfare” tactics—irregular strategies aimed at wearing down opponents without direct conflict. Recent balloon activities have been described by Taiwan as part of a broader campaign to pressure the island.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has previously dismissed complaints about its balloons, asserting they serve meteorological purposes and criticising their portrayal as political provocations. However, Taiwan’s government strongly opposes China’s sovereignty claims, emphasising that the island’s future should be determined solely by its people.
The issue of Chinese balloon activity gained international attention last year when the United States shot down what it identified as a Chinese surveillance balloon. Beijing claimed the balloon was a civilian craft that had accidentally veered off course.
With no immediate response from China’s defence ministry regarding the latest incident, Taiwan remains vigilant. This development underscores the ongoing friction in the Taiwan Strait and raises concerns about the potential for such encounters to heighten regional instability.
Melissa Enoch
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