Taiwan Says ‘Dozens’ Of Chinese Spy Balloons Have Entered Its Airspace In Recent Years: Report

Authored by forbes.com and submitted by pstbo

FILE - In this photo provided by Chad Fish, a large balloon drifts above the Atlantic Ocean, just ... [+] off the coast of South Carolina, with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. A missile fired on Feb. 5 by a U.S. F-22 off the Carolina coast ended the days-long flight of what the Biden administration says was a surveillance operation that took the Chinese balloon near U.S. military sites. (Chad Fish via AP) Chad Fish

Taiwan has seen “dozens” of Chinese spy balloons enter its airspace during recent years, with the latest just a few weeks ago, according to a new report from the Financial Times. The report marks the first time Taiwan has acknowledged such a large incursion into its territory and cites an unnamed senior Taiwanese official.

“Previously, Taiwan’s defense ministry had only confirmed one incident in February last year, in which multiple Chinese balloons in four batches loitered over the north of the country,” the new report from the Financial Times explains.

The spy balloons over Taiwan are suspected to be the kinds of reconnaissance necessary for a full-scale invasion of the country, something Beijing has threatened on various occasions because it believes Taiwan is rightfully Chinese territory. Taiwan has been operating independently of the Chinese mainland since 1949.

The Financial Times reports that experts believe the balloons seen over Taiwan were developed by the Equipment Development Department, which develops weapons under China’s Central Military Commission.

News of the incursions by China come as Taiwan’s ally, the United States, has been taken over with UFO mania in recent weeks. The U.S. first shot down a Chinese spy balloon on Feb. 4, but only after the balloon had crossed most of the country—first sailing by Alaska, traveling into Canada, and then down through Montana. From there, the balloon crossed the country into South Carolina before it was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean.

The 8-day journey across the U.S. kicked off a debate in U.S. media over what the proper course of action should have been, leading many people to criticize President Joe Biden and some to even insist President Donald Trump never would’ve let something like that happen. Except it did. Multiple times.

But Biden has turned into Mr. “Shoot First and Ask Questions Later” when it comes to unknown aerial objects, likely afraid to look weak on China in the eyes of many who see the New Cold War as the biggest threat facing the country. The U.S. and Canada have shot down three floating objects in as many days, with the latest over Lake Huron today.

In fact, a “radar anomaly” that was spotted over Montana on Saturday night is probably the same object that was shot down near Michigan today, described as an octagon-shaped object with “strings hanging off,” but no payload.

ticktickboom45 on February 13rd, 2023 at 08:26 UTC »

This is like when someone comes out with a story then suddenly everyone comes out of the woodwork to say they have a similar story.

autotldr on February 13rd, 2023 at 00:30 UTC »

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 73%. (I'm a bot)

Taiwan has seen "Dozens" of Chinese spy balloons enter its airspace during recent years, with the latest just a few weeks ago, according to a new report from the Financial Times.

"Previously, Taiwan's defense ministry had only confirmed one incident in February last year, in which multiple Chinese balloons in four batches loitered over the north of the country," the new report from the Financial Times explains.

The spy balloons over Taiwan are suspected to be the kinds of reconnaissance necessary for a full-scale invasion of the country, something Beijing has threatened on various occasions because it believes Taiwan is rightfully Chinese territory.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: over#1 Taiwan#2 balloon#3 Chinese#4 down#5

strik3r2k8 on February 12nd, 2023 at 23:52 UTC »

You and I in a Chinese toy shop, buy a bag of balloons with the yuan we got.