{"id":4106,"date":"2023-02-18T15:49:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-18T15:49:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4106"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:53:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:53:29","slug":"chinese-balloon-discovered-in-north-island-taiwan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/analysis\/defense\/chinese-balloon-discovered-in-north-island-taiwan\/2023\/02\/18\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese balloon discovered in North Island, Taiwan"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAIPEI,<\/span> Taiwan<\/span> (AFP)<\/span> –<\/span> Taiwan’s<\/span> defense<\/span> ministry<\/span> said<\/span> China’s<\/span> weather<\/span> balloons<\/span> were<\/span> being<\/span> sent<\/span> around<\/span> the<\/span> world<\/span> to<\/span> spy<\/span> on<\/span> Washington<\/span> and<\/span> its<\/span> allies,<\/span> amid<\/span> US<\/span> allegations.<\/span> It<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> landed<\/span> on<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> offshore<\/span> islands.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> balloon<\/span> was<\/span> equipped<\/span> with<\/span> equipment<\/span> registered<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> state-owned<\/span> electronics<\/span> company<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> northern<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Taiyuan,<\/span> the<\/span> ministry<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> statement<\/span> on<\/span> Thursday.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> discovered<\/span> Dongyin<\/span> Island<\/span> is<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> Matsu<\/span> Island<\/span> off<\/span> the<\/span> coast<\/span> of<\/span> Fujian<\/span> Province,<\/span> China.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Taiwan<\/span> retained<\/span> control<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> islands<\/span> even<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> 1949<\/span> civil<\/span> war<\/span> split<\/span> the<\/span> two<\/span> sides,<\/span> and<\/span> these<\/span> islands<\/span> would<\/span> remain<\/span> vulnerable<\/span> to<\/span> defense<\/span> should<\/span> China<\/span> carry<\/span> out<\/span> its<\/span> threat<\/span> to<\/span> occupy<\/span> Taiwan<\/span> by<\/span> force<\/span> if<\/span> necessary.<\/span> considered<\/span> the<\/span> front<\/span> line.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>An<\/span> advertiser<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> company,<\/span> known<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> report<\/span> as<\/span> Taiyuan<\/span> Radio<\/span> (Radio)<\/span> First<\/span> Factory<\/span> Co.,<\/span> Ltd.,<\/span> said<\/span> he<\/span> was<\/span> contacted<\/span> by<\/span> phone.<\/span> He<\/span> confirmed<\/span> that<\/span> he<\/span> supplied<\/span> the<\/span> electronics<\/span> but<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> manufacture<\/span> the<\/span> balloons.<\/span> A<\/span> spokesman,<\/span> who<\/span> gave<\/span> only<\/span> his<\/span> last<\/span> name,<\/span> said<\/span> Taiyuan<\/span> is<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> many<\/span> companies<\/span> providing<\/span> equipment<\/span> to<\/span> China’s<\/span> weather<\/span> bureau.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> balloon<\/span> was<\/span> likely<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> daily<\/span> launches<\/span> to<\/span> monitor<\/span> the<\/span> weather<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> most<\/span> likely<\/span> launched<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> coastal<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Xiamen,<\/span> which<\/span> has<\/span> no<\/span> set<\/span> course,<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>According<\/span> to<\/span> Taiwan’s<\/span> defense<\/span> ministry,<\/span> information<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> equipment<\/span> is<\/span> written<\/span> in<\/span> simplified<\/span> characters<\/span> used<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> mainland,<\/span> not<\/span> traditional<\/span> characters<\/span> used<\/span> in<\/span> Taiwan.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>China<\/span> regularly<\/span> sends<\/span> military<\/span> aircraft<\/span> and<\/span> warships<\/span> into<\/span> Taiwan’s<\/span> air<\/span> identification<\/span> zone<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> Taiwan<\/span> Strait<\/span> midline.<\/span> This<\/span> prompted<\/span> Taiwan<\/span> to<\/span> purchase<\/span> more<\/span> munitions<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States,<\/span> expand<\/span> domestic<\/span> production<\/span> of<\/span> local<\/span> planes,<\/span> submarines<\/span> and<\/span> warships,<\/span> and<\/span> expand<\/span> conscription<\/span> of<\/span> all<\/span> men.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Washington<\/span> is<\/span> Taiwan’s<\/span> closest<\/span> military<\/span> and<\/span> diplomatic<\/span> ally,<\/span> despite<\/span> the<\/span> lack<\/span> of<\/span> formal<\/span> ties<\/span> that<\/span> were<\/span> severed<\/span> in<\/span> 1979.<\/span> Beijing<\/span> has<\/span> vehemently<\/span> protested<\/span> contact<\/span> between<\/span> the<\/span> island<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> States,<\/span> but<\/span> its<\/span> aggressive<\/span> diplomacy<\/span> has<\/span> helped<\/span> build<\/span> strong<\/span> bipartisan<\/span> support<\/span> for<\/span> Taipei<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Capitol.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>On<\/span> Thursday,<\/span> President<\/span> Joe<\/span> Biden<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> will<\/span> track,<\/span> monitor<\/span> and<\/span> possibly<\/span> shoot<\/span> down<\/span> unknown<\/span> airborne<\/span> objects<\/span> after<\/span> three<\/span> weeks<\/span> of<\/span> dangerous<\/span> drama<\/span> sparked<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> discovery<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> suspected<\/span> Chinese<\/span> spy<\/span> balloon.<\/span> It<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> developing<\/span> \u201ctighter<\/span> rules\u201d<\/span> for<\/span> Country.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Biden<\/span> told<\/span> National<\/span> Security<\/span> Advisor<\/span> Jake<\/span> Sullivan<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> process<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> shot<\/span> down<\/span> a<\/span> Chinese<\/span> balloon<\/span> and<\/span> that<\/span> Biden<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> US<\/span> was<\/span> most<\/span> likely<\/span> a<\/span> “benign”<\/span> object.<\/span> He<\/span> was<\/span> instructed<\/span> to<\/span> lead<\/span> a<\/span> “multi-agency<\/span> team”<\/span> to<\/span> review<\/span> the<\/span> other<\/span> three<\/span> objects<\/span> mentioned.<\/span> Launched<\/span> by<\/span> private<\/span> companies<\/span> and<\/span> research<\/span> institutes.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Biden<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> express<\/span> regret<\/span> about<\/span> shooting<\/span> down<\/span> the<\/span> three<\/span> unidentified<\/span> objects,<\/span> but<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> new<\/span> rules<\/span> “distinguish<\/span> between<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> likely<\/span> to<\/span> pose<\/span> a<\/span> security<\/span> risk<\/span> that<\/span> requires<\/span> action<\/span> and<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> not.”<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) – Taiwan’s defense ministry said China’s weather balloons were being sent around the world to spy on Washington and its allies, amid US allegations. It said it landed on one of the offshore islands. The balloon was equipped with equipment registered with the state-owned electronics company in the northern city of Taiyuan, […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[26,24,280,2425],"tags":[152,960,1133,1134,1135],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/TWN.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4106"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4110,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4106\/revisions\/4110"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}