Key takeaways:
- The balloon was spotted southwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Thursday night, and continued east before disappearing.
- The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Taiwan and China, and the importance of the Taiwan Strait as a strategic waterway.
- It also serves as a reminder of the upcoming presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, which will be a major test of the island’s sovereignty.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has reported a large-scale movement of military aircraft and ships in the Taiwan Strait, along with the presence of a Chinese surveillance balloon. The ministry referred to the balloon as both a “PLA surveillance balloon” and a “PRC’s balloon,” using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China, China’s official name.
The balloon was spotted southwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Thursday night, and continued east before disappearing, possibly into the Pacific Ocean. It is unclear whether the balloon was operated by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of China’s ruling Communist Party.
The incident comes just over a month before Taiwan is set to hold its presidential and legislative elections on January 11th. The election is seen as a major test of Taiwan’s sovereignty, as China has long sought to reunify the island with the mainland.
The Taiwan Strait is a narrow body of water that separates Taiwan from mainland China. It is a key strategic waterway, and tensions between the two sides have been high in recent years.
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Taiwan and China, and the importance of the Taiwan Strait as a strategic waterway. It also serves as a reminder of the upcoming presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, which will be a major test of the island’s sovereignty.
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