On Monday, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China (Taiwan) reported that a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) surveillance balloon was found in the airspace above the northern waters of Taiwan. This marks the first time since April this year that such an event has been reported by Taiwanese authorities. Taiwan interprets this as part of Beijing’s harassment tactics.
The CCP claims Taiwan as its territory and has been increasing military pressure in the waters around the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese authorities noted that in the weeks leading up to the presidential election in January, the CCP’s surveillance balloon activities reached an “unprecedented scale.”
According to Reuters statistics, from December 2023 to April 2024, there were 8 days where 4 or more CCP balloons were detected near Taiwan, with over 100 balloons found during this period.
Taiwan views these actions as part of the CCP’s “grey zone strategy,” aiming to exert pressure on Taiwanese society and wear down the enemy through non-confrontational tactics without triggering open warfare.
Taiwan vehemently opposes the CCP’s sovereignty claims and emphasizes that only the people of Taiwan can determine their own future.
On Monday, the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan reported that Taiwanese military detected a CCP surveillance balloon entering the response zone on Sunday. The balloon was flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet (approximately 10,000 meters) about 60 nautical miles (111 kilometers) northwest of Keelung, Taiwan, at 6:21 pm and disappeared around 8:15 pm without crossing into Taiwan’s airspace.
As of Monday morning, Taiwan had observed 12 instances of CCP military aircraft (8 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait into the southwest airspace of Taiwan), 7 instances of CCP warships, and 1 instance of government vessel activities near the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan has deployed surveillance aircraft, ships, and land-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense has not issued an immediate comment.
Previously, the CCP has claimed that the surveillance balloons were used for meteorological observations and should not be politicized.
Last year, the United States shot down a spy balloon believed to be manufactured by the CCP, drawing global attention to the possibility of CCP using balloons for surveillance activities. The CCP claimed it was a civilian aircraft that accidentally entered U.S. airspace.
In May of this year, political commentator Lawyer Chen Yishen told Epoch Times that the CCP’s deployment of balloons to harass Taiwan could serve three purposes. Firstly, to increase Taiwan’s defense costs as the small size of CCP balloons makes detection by Taiwan’s air defense radar more challenging, placing more pressure on Taiwan’s defense.
Secondly, the CCP aims to provoke tension and anxiety among the Taiwanese people through the use of surveillance balloons, military aircraft, and warships. Failure to implement proactive measures could undermine confidence in the Taiwanese government.
Lastly, the CCP may indeed be actively preparing for a conflict, gathering meteorological data in Taiwan including temperature, humidity, wind speed, and seasonal wind directions in preparation for a possible future conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
Chen Yishen cautioned that Taiwan should not underestimate the CCP’s harassment tactics. While the CCP may not be able to win in a war in the Taiwan Strait, there is a need to be vigilant against CCP leader Xi Jinping’s potential misjudgments, similar to Russian President Putin’s actions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.