Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense has again recorded the presence of eight Chinese balloons over the island’s territory. It is unclear whether the balloons have a military function.
On Sunday, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense announced that for the second day in a row the presence of eight Chinese balloons was registered, six of which flew directly over the island, at an altitude of 3,600 to 10,500 m. A day earlier, the Taiwanese flew The ministry reported that eight Chinese balloons have been spotted, the largest number around islands since December last year.
Authorities in Taipei believe the balloon flights are an “element of psychological warfare” being waged by Beijing to intimidate residents of the island, which China considers its territory. “We are monitoring the situation and will respond accordingly,” Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said.
Balloons directly above Taiwan
At the beginning of January this year, three Chinese balloons flew over Taiwan for the first time, one near a Taiwan air base.
The Taiwanese military monitors all movements of the Chinese armed forces. The People’s Republic of China does not recognize Taiwan as a separate state and considers the island its own territory. In international relations, the country adheres to the ‘one China’ principle, which means that the country is only represented by the government in Beijing.
China wants to take over the island
In August 2022, China conducted exercises near the island following the arrival of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Taipei. The American politician accused the authorities in Beijing of wanting to use the visit of the official American delegation as a pretext for aggression. According to her, the purpose of the trip was “to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait” and not to try to change the island’s status quo. In response, China imposed sanctions on Pelosi and cut off military communications with the US military. These contacts were only restored in December last year.
China’s possible takeover of Taiwan remains a topic of concern in Washington and is one of the main points of contention between the US and the Middle Kingdom.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
