None of the Chinese balloons discovered in the skies over the Taiwan Strait were launched from Chinese warships, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said, CNA reported on February 18.
The ministry made this comment after information appeared in the Taiwanese newspaper China Times that the Taiwanese military recorded that some of the balloons were launched from Chinese military ships during exercises in the Taiwan Strait. According to the newspaper, the Chinese military deliberately launched balloons to expose Taiwan’s air and sea defenses.
The island’s Defense Ministry said most of the balloons were launched from the coasts of China’s Fujian and Guangzhou provinces for meteorological purposes. The China Times report was erroneous and the Taiwanese military has no evidence that the balloons were launched from Chinese People’s Liberation Army ships.
The military said similar balloons were also spotted regularly last year. Most of them occurred in December and February, when seasonal winds blow in this direction.
However, this year the number of balloons detected has increased significantly. The military remembered February 10, when a record number of balloons was discovered – 8 pieces.
Recall that stories about the discovery of balloons in the skies of certain countries became popular after the incident of a Chinese balloon flying over US territory and being shot down over the sea on February 4, 2023. The US military claims that it was a spy balloon
The Chinese side claims that it is a weather balloon that accidentally entered US airspace.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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