Taiwan: Taiwan’s defence ministry has reported the detection of a Chinese balloon, marking the first such incident since April. The balloon was observed on 24th November at 6:21 PM local time, approximately 111 km (69 miles) northwest of Keelung City, at an altitude of 33,000 feet. It entered Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) and vanished two hours later at 8:15 PM.
This latest sighting was part of a broader military presence in the region, with the Taiwanese ministry also noting the detection of 12 Chinese military aircraft and seven warships in the surrounding waters over the past 24 hours. China regularly deploys such military assets around Taiwan, which it claims as its territory.
Taipei views these balloon incidents as a form of “grey zone” harassment, which falls short of outright military aggression but serves to increase pressure on the island. In the lead-up to Taiwan’s presidential election in January, the government has increased concerns over the growing scale of Chinese balloon activity.
The balloon incident comes along with reports from Japan’s Kyodo news agency that the United States is preparing contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines should tensions over Taiwan escalate. These plans include the deployment of US Marine regiments equipped with HIMARS rocket systems and the establishment of temporary bases on islands near Taiwan.
The growing presence of US and allied military forces in the region is heightening tensions with Beijing, which has repeatedly criticised such moves as provocative and a challenge to China’s territorial claims. Despite Taiwan’s protests over the balloons, China has insisted that they are intended for meteorological purposes and should not be politicised.
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