China flies balloon close to Taiwan, Taipei says

Taiwan said on Monday that it had detected a Chinese balloon over the sea northwest of the island.

It is the first time since April that Taiwan has reported such an incident.

Chinese planes, warships also reported

The balloon was sighted at 6:21 p.m. local time (1021 UTC) on Sunday about 111 kilometers (69 miles) to the north of Keelung port, Taiwan's Defense Ministry said in its daily update on Chinese military activities.

Some 12 Chinese military aircraft and seven warships were also spotted close to the island in the prior 24 hours, the ministry said.

It flew for some two hours at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,000 meters) before disappearing, the ministry added.

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it does not rule out military action to take back control of the island.

Both claim sovereignty over the whole of China, a result of the civil war that was won by the Chinese Communist Party, but a dwindling number of countries recognize Taiwan's claim.

Nevertheless, the US provides military support for Taiwan, raising fears of a conflict between China and the US.

China's 'grey-zone' tactics against Taiwan

There was no immediate statement from China.

In the weeks ahead of Taiwan's January presidential election, Taipei had said that Chinese balloon activity took place at an "unprecedented scale."

Taiwan describes the balloons as a form of "grey-zone" harassment, a maneuver that falls short of an act of war.

Beijing, however, has dismissed Taipei's complaints about the balloons, saying that the objects were for meteorological purposes and should not be exaggerated for political reasons. 

The threat of China using the balloons for spying became a global issue in 2023 when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon.

China said it was a civilian craft blown astray.

dvv/wd (AFP, Reuters)