Taiwan reports sighting of Chinese balloon near island | Political news

Twelve Chinese military aircraft and seven warships have been detected as of early Monday, according to Taipei’s Defense Ministry.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said a Chinese balloon had been detected over the sea in the island’s northwest, the first time it has spotted such an incident since April.

The ministry said on Monday that the latest balloon was spotted at 6:21 pm (1021 GMT) on Sunday, about 111 km (69 miles) northwest of Keelung City at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,058 meters).

The plane entered the island’s air defense identification zone and disappeared at 8:15 p.m., according to the ministry, which releases daily data on the Chinese military presence around Taiwan.

In addition to the balloon, 12 Chinese military aircraft and seven warships were detected around Taiwan in the 24 hours to early Monday, the ministry said.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly stated that it could stop Taipei by force if it declared independence.

Beijing regularly deploys fighter planes, drones and warships around Taiwan, and occasionally balloons, as it maintains military pressure.

Taiwan has described the balloons as a form of “gray zone” intimidation – a tactic that cannot be compared to an act of war.

In the weeks leading up to January’s presidential election, Taipei had also complained that Chinese balloon activity over the island’s territory was on an “unprecedented scale.”

China’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.

China has previously dismissed Taiwan’s complaints about the balloons, saying they were for meteorological purposes and should not be inflated for political reasons.

The potential for China to use balloons for espionage became a global issue last year when the United States shot down a so-called Chinese surveillance balloon. China said the balloon was a civilian vessel that had accidentally gone astray.

The latest balloon incident over Taiwan comes as Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that the US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in the event of an emergency over Taiwan.

They will be included in an initial joint operations plan to be formulated in December, the report said, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations.

A US Marine regiment equipped with the HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) would be deployed along Japan’s Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said.

If an emergency in Taiwan becomes very imminent, temporary bases will also be set up on inhabited islands, based on US military guidelines, the report said.

The Japanese military is expected to focus mainly on logistical support, the report said.

The US military would also deploy long-range fire units to the Philippines, Kyodo said.

Washington has strengthened alliances in the region, angering Beijing.

Last year, the Philippines signed a defense pact with the US, giving its armed forces access to four more military bases in the Southeast Asian country. Earlier this month, Manila and Washington signed a military intelligence-sharing agreement, further deepening defense security ties between the two allies as they try to counter a rising China.

Japan and the Philippines signed a defense pact in July, allowing the deployment of troops on each other’s territory.