China claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory. (representative)
Taipei:
Taipei’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that a record eight Chinese hot air balloons had been spotted around Taiwan, with two flying directly over the island.
The ministry said the balloons were spotted on Friday, a day before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday, at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) to 38,000 feet.
This is the highest number found since the department began regularly releasing data on balloon sightings in December.
China claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-governing island under its control.
Beijing has stepped up military pressure in recent years, deploying warplanes and naval vessels around the island on an almost daily basis.
In February last year, Taiwan’s military alerted aviation authorities after spotting a balloon floating in Taiwanese airspace, but did not reveal where the balloon came from or provide detailed location.
The latest balloon sightings come after Taiwan’s presidential election last month, won by Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, whom Beijing considers a “separatist”.
China warned before the vote that a Jimmy Lai victory would bring “war and decline” to Taiwan.
But it did not immediately send a large number of warplanes and naval ships after the election.
The largest incursion since the Jan. 13 vote included the sighting of 33 Chinese warplanes around Taiwan, according to Taipei.
The highest number of Chinese fighter jets sent by China in a 24-hour window was in September, when Taiwan recorded 103 Chinese aircraft flying around the island.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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