Chinese Spy Balloon | After America, now China’s ‘spy balloon’ seen near Taiwan, warned of interference in elections

A Chinese military surveillance balloon was spotted in the Taiwan Strait. Earlier, a similar spy balloon was seen in America. Additionally, China has deployed military aircraft and ships to Taiwan. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Friday, this has increased the possibility of Chinese interference in the President’s work. Elections are to be held in the self-ruled island nation next month.

According to the ministry, the balloon was seen flying at an altitude of about 6,400 meters and passed southwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Thursday night before moving eastward and possibly disappearing into the Pacific Ocean. Taiwan has threatened to shoot down such balloons but this time the ministry has not taken any action. At least 26 Chinese military aircraft and 10 Chinese naval ships were detected in the 24 hours before Friday morning. Of those 26 planes, 15 crossed the median line that is an unofficial divider between the sides, but Beijing refuses to recognize it.

Taiwan warns of interference in elections

Such incursions occur regularly as a means of advertising China’s threat to use force to force the self-ruled island republic to accept its territory. Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the ministry would “closely monitor the enemy situation” near the island.

Reuters quoted Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu as saying If you listen to the statements of (China’s) Taiwan Affairs Office, it is very clear. They are commenting in very negative language against (Taiwan’s) Vice President Lai (Ching-te) or Vice-Presidential candidate Bi-Khim Hsiao. And these types of statements have already told the Taiwanese people that they (China) want to interfere in Taiwan’s election and they want to influence the election results, and they are telling the Taiwanese people that if If you vote for this political party, it means war, if you vote for another political party, it means peace.

“So, they (China) are doing all kinds of things to interfere in our elections and we can expect more till our voting date,” he said. The development comes as Taiwan prepares for its next presidential elections on January 13 next year. Taiwan has already warned that Beijing will attempt to interfere in the voting to force a candidate that China prefers.

Chinese ‘spy balloon’ was seen over America

Meanwhile, already strained relations between China and the US worsened after US President Joe Biden ordered the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon over the continental United States on January 28 this year. It also prompted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his visit to Beijing.

On February 5, the US military shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean and launched a mission to recover all equipment from its wreckage, prompting a strong reaction from China, which ordered the US to ground its civilian unmanned aerial vehicles. Warned of consequences if use of force against. , Senior US officials claimed that the balloon had gathered intelligence from several sensitive US military sites.

Although Beijing acknowledged that the giant balloon was flown over its territory, it denied claims of sending spying equipment to the US. Instead, it dubbed the helium balloon a “weather data collector” and said it was being floated toward the US by wind currents.

Later, Beijing claimed Washington violated its airspace at least ten times in the last 13 months. According to China, US high-altitude balloons flew illegally into Chinese airspace on more than 10 occasions without approval from relevant Chinese authorities.

China’s threatening strategy regarding Taiwan

Last month, China flew 43 military aircraft and seven ships near the self-ruled island in what was largely seen as an attempt by Beijing to influence Taiwan’s presidential election in January. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which leans toward formal independence for the island, is anathema to the Chinese government. China supports opposition candidates who advocate working with the mainland.

Taiwan and China were divided in 1949 when the Communists took over China during the civil war. The nationalists who suffered losses fled to Taiwan and formed their own government here. The island is self-governing, although only a few foreign nations give it official diplomatic recognition. The US maintains formal relations with China, among others maintaining a representative office in Taiwan.

Recently, at an international defense forum in Beijing, China’s second-ranking military officer Zhang Youxia reiterated the Chinese government’s threats to retaliate against moves toward establishing Taiwan’s formal independence. He said that “no matter who tries to separate Taiwan from China in any form, China and the Chinese army will never allow this to happen.”