Taiwan Reports Chinese Balloon for First Time in Six Months

Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced today, Monday, that a Chinese balloon was spotted over the sea north of Taiwan. This is the first such incident reported since April, which Taipei views as part of a pattern of hostile activities by Beijing.

Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory, has complained about an “unprecedented” increase in Chinese balloon activity during the weeks leading up to Taiwan’s presidential election in January.

In its routine morning update on Chinese military activity over the past 24 hours, the ministry said one balloon was spotted at 6:21 PM (10:21 GMT) on Sunday, 60 nautical miles (111 kilometers) north of Taiwan’s Keelung Port.

The ministry added that the balloon disappeared after about two hours while flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, without crossing over Taiwan itself.

China’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment. Previously, Beijing dismissed Taiwan’s complaints about balloons, saying they were for meteorological purposes and should not be politically exaggerated.