Taipei, Jan. 3, (dpa/GNA) – Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that four Chinese balloons were detected on Tuesday after they crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait.
Three of the detected balloons flew over the Taiwan island.
The ministry said it has closely monitored such balloons, which can be used for weather purposes, and will gather information about their flight paths for analysis.
Such Chinese balloon incidents come just before Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13.
Taiwan has reported activities of such Chinese balloons detected nearby since early December. The ministry also detected Chinese balloons late on Monday.
The defence ministry said the three balloons seen on Tuesday flew between 194 kilometres and 296 kilometres to the south-west of Ching Chuan Kang, where an air force base is located.
The altitude of the three balloons ranged from about 3,660 metres to 6,700 metres.
The remaining one flew 144 kilometres north-west to northern Keelung at an altitude of 7,300 metres.
Of the two balloons detected on Monday, one flew over the Taiwan island. A graphic released on Tuesday shows it was detected at the location 101 kilometres north-west of Chiayi at an altitude of approximately 9,144 metres.
The other was detected at the location of 131 kilometres north-west of Keelung at an altitude of approximately 9,753 metres.
Chinese fighter jets fly almost daily into Taiwan’s air defence zone, to which the island has to respond. According to observers, one of Beijing’s goals could be to tire out the Taiwanese people and also to explore its military capabilities.
Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the self-ruled island as its territory.