Taiwan to ‘handle’ Chinese balloons based on threat level

TAIPEI – Taiwan will “handle” Chinese balloons flying nearby based on threat assessments, though officials believe the current wave is for weather purposes, driven by the prevailing winds at this time of the year, the Defence Ministry in Taipei said on Dec 20.

The potential for China to use balloons for spying became a global issue in February when the United States

shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon.

China said the balloon was a civilian craft that accidentally drifted astray.

Taiwan is on high alert for Chinese activities, both military and political, ahead of its Jan 13 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Taipei has warned that Beijing may try to interfere to get voters to pick candidates China may prefer.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry has so far in December reported four instances of

Chinese balloons flying over the sensitive Taiwan Strait,

then crossing airspace to the island’s north before vanishing.

Speaking to reporters, ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said Chinese balloons are more regularly spotted from October to March due to winds at that time of the year.

“Generally speaking, most of the ones we have spotted so far are weather balloons,” he said.

“They are from mainland China, and not necessarily from the People’s Liberation Army.”

Exactly how the ministry will “handle” the balloons depending on threat assessment level is secret, Mr Sun added.

The ministry will announce if the balloons are used for surveillance purposes, but it is so far not possible to judge whether the balloons seen at the moment are connected to the election, he said.

The ministry has said the balloons it spotted in December disappeared after flying north of Taiwan.

Mr Sun said the balloons may disintegrate at a certain altitude or simply vanish from the area the military keeps watch over.

China’s Defence Ministry has not responded to several requests for comment on the balloons.

Mr Lo Yong-chang from Taiwan Defence Ministry’s joint operations department added that the military would go on higher alert between Jan 12 and 14, during the election period, as it has done during previous votes. REUTERS