Taiwan slams aviation safety 'threat' from China balloons

On Saturday, Taiwan’s defence ministry blasted Beijing for flying balloons across the median line that separates the self-ruled island from China, saying they pose a “serious threat” to aviation routes and are a form of harassment. China claims Taiwan as part of its sovereignty and has increased military and political pressure on the island in recent years, sending in an unprecedented number of fighter planes and navy vessels near the island. Taipei’s defence ministry began reported the arrival of Chinese balloons near Taiwan in December, citing at least four cases in which they sailed straight above the island. “Based on their recent drift path, (the ballons) have posed a serious threat to the safety of many international aviation routes,” the Ministry of National Defence said in a statement condemning China’s “disregard for aviation safety”. The ministry also released an illustration Saturday showing two Chinese balloons it said had crossed the median line a day before, with one directly above the island. “(The) main purpose of the recent detection of balloons is ‘grey zone’ harassment in an attempt to use cognitive warfare to affect the morale of our people,” it added. “Grey zone” tactics refer to aggressive actions deployed by a state that stop short of open warfare – which many experts say is what China is doing to Taiwan with its near-daily show of military force around the island. “We call for an immediate end to this practice to ensure flight safety in the region,” the ministry said The statement comes a week before Taiwan’s presidential election, which will determine the future of the island’s relations with Beijing depending on who voters pick. Since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, China has severed all high-level communications with her government as she does not recognise Beijing’s sovereignty over the island.