Taiwan reports sighting of Chinese balloon near island

Taipei’s defence ministry says 12 Chinese subject craft and 7 warships were detected until aboriginal Monday.

Taiwan’s defence ministry has reported that a Chinese balloon had been detected implicit the oversea to the island’s northwest, the archetypal clip since April it has flagged specified an incident.

The ministry reported connected Monday that the latest balloon was spotted astatine 6:21pm (10:21 GMT) connected Sunday astir 111km (69 miles) northwest of Keelung City astatine an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,058 metres).

It entered the island’s aerial defence recognition portion and disappeared astatine 8:15pm, according to the ministry, which releases regular information connected China’s subject beingness astir Taiwan.

As good arsenic the balloon, 12 Chinese subject craft and 7 warships were detected astir Taiwan successful the 24 hours to aboriginal Monday, the ministry said.

China claims Taiwan arsenic portion of its territory and has repeatedly declared that it could forcefully stop Taipei successful lawsuit it declares independence.

Beijing regularly deploys combatant jets, drones and warships astir Taiwan, and occasionally balloons, arsenic it keeps up subject pressure.

Taiwan has described the balloons arsenic a signifier of “grey zone” harassment – a maneuver that falls abbreviated of an enactment of war.

In the weeks starring up to its statesmanlike predetermination successful January, Taipei had besides complained that Chinese balloon enactment supra the island’s territory was taking spot astatine an “unprecedented scale”.

China’s defence ministry did not respond to a petition for comment.

China has antecedently dismissed Taiwan’s complaints astir the balloons, saying they were for meteorological purposes and should not beryllium hyped up for governmental reasons.

The imaginable for China to usage balloons for spying became a planetary contented past twelvemonth erstwhile the United States changeable down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon. China said the balloon was a civilian trade that accidentally drifted astray.

The latest balloon incidental implicit Taiwan comes arsenic Japan’s Kyodo quality bureau reported that the US is drafting up contingency plans for subject deployments successful Japan and the Philippines successful lawsuit of an exigency implicit Taiwan.

They volition beryllium incorporated successful a archetypal associated cognition program to beryllium formulated successful December, the study said citing sources acquainted with Japan-US relations.

A US Marine regiment which possesses the multiple-launch HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) would beryllium deployed on Japan’s Nansei land concatenation stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni adjacent Taiwan, Kyodo said.

If a Taiwan contingency becomes highly imminent, impermanent bases volition besides beryllium acceptable up connected inhabited islands based connected US subject guidelines, the study added.

Japan’s subject is expected to chiefly prosecute successful logistical support, it said.

The US Army would besides deploy long-range occurrence units successful the Philippines, Kyodo said.

Washington has been strengthening alliances successful the region, infuriating Beijing.

Last year, the Philippines signed a defence pact with the US, giving its forces entree to 4 much subject bases successful the Southeast Asian nation. Earlier this month, Manila and Washington signed a subject intelligence-sharing deal, successful a further deepening of information ties betwixt the 2 defence pact allies arsenic they question to antagonistic a resurgent China.

Japan and the Philippines signed a defence pact successful July, allowing the deployment of troops connected each other’s soil.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies