Shortly before the presidential and parliamentary elections, the Taiwanese military again discovered several suspicious Chinese balloons over its territory. One of them flew west over the center of the East Asian island state yesterday, the other two were discovered in the west and northwest over the sea, the Defense Ministry in Taipei announced today.
Experts suspect that the balloons could be used to intimidate the population before the elections. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not initially respond to a request this morning (local time) about what was intended with the balloons.
Expert: Intimidate the population before voting
The incidents are reminiscent of a Chinese balloon overflight of the US last year. Washington accused Beijing of using it for espionage. China, however, said the balloon was adrift and was used to measure the weather. The US shot the aircraft from the sky.
The new discoveries about Taiwan may have something to do with the January 13 elections. “China deliberately took advantage of the favorable winds from the southwest to frequently launch these non-motorized weather balloons and fly over Taiwan, thereby intimidating the Taiwanese people before the elections,” said Su Tzu-yun of the Taiwan National Defense and Security Institute . Search for dpa.
Beijing: Taiwan Chinese territory
Beijing considers the island to be part of its national territory, citing history, and wants reunification, if necessary with military means. The DPP, which is still in office, defends independence. The upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, in which 19.5 million people are expected to vote, will have a say in future relations between Taipei and Beijing. In addition to the DPP, parties friendly to China, such as the Kuomintang, are also running.