Taiwan detects eight Chinese balloons for second straight day

For the second day in a row, eight Chinese balloons were detected surrounding Taiwan, five of which flew directly over the island, Taipei’s defence ministry said Sunday. According to the ministry, the balloons were sighted on Saturday, the first day of the Lunar New Year vacation, at a height of 12,000 to 35,000 feet. According to a graphic supplied by the ministry, five of the balloons went straight over the island, while one skirted its northern tip. China claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of the self-governing island. In recent years, Beijing has increased military pressure on the island, deploying aeroplanes and naval vessels almost daily and increasing the number of balloons that fly above it. Eight balloons were seen on Friday as well, which is the most since the military ministry began disclosing information on balloon sightings on a monthly basis in December. After seeing a balloon floating in the island’s airspace in February of last year, Taiwan’s military notified aviation authorities, albeit they could not specify the balloon’s exact position or point of origin. Following Taiwan’s presidential election last month, which was won by Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party—a person Beijing views as a “separatist”—the latest balloon sightings occurred. China warned ahead of the vote that a win by Lai would bring “war and decline” to Taiwan. It did not, however, send a major contingent of warplanes and naval vessels in the election’s immediate aftermath. Since the January 13 vote, the largest incursions included 33 Chinese warplanes detected around Taiwan, according to Taipei. The largest number of warplanes China has sent during a 24-hour window came in September, when Taiwan recorded 103 Chinese aircraft around the island.