Taiwan has accused China of carrying out “dozens” of incursions into its airspace with spy balloons similar to the one shot down over the United States last week, further contributing to rising tensions as China encircles Taiwan with military exercises.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said this weekend that China has been sending surveillance balloons into its airspace at a rate of about one a month for years. Taiwanese officials believe the balloons are to measure atmospheric data that can help improve the accuracy of China’s radar and missile systems, according to Taiwan News.
Both China and the United States conducted extensive military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region this weekend. The US Navy and Marine Corps have held joint exercises, and China is now encircling Taiwan for another round of military exercises echoing its unprecedented growth since the fall.
Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives voted to condemn China for sending its surveillance balloon across the US in early February. However, China rejected the resolution during a foreign ministry press conference on Sunday.
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Taiwan says China has launched spy balloons into its airspace “very frequently” in recent years. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)
“The resolution of the US Congress is all about political scoring and dramatization of the whole thing,” spokeswoman Mao Ning said. “China deplores this and strongly opposes it.”
Tensions are flaring between the US and China as China holds military exercises around Taiwan this week. (Chad Fish via AP)
Nearly two dozen Chinese military aircraft and the vessels were detected around Taiwan on Monday morning after the US Navy and Marine Corps held joint exercises in the South China Sea over the weekend.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said 18 People’s Liberation Army aircraft were detected, 11 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer zone between the island and China. Four vessels were also detected around Taiwan.
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The incursion came just days after the United States conducted “integrated expeditionary strike force” operations in the South China Sea, which included the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
“The mobility and sustainability provided by amphibious platforms give the Navy e Marine Corps team an asymmetrical advantage in a maritime environment,” the 7th Fleet said in a statement. “This seamless naval integration has established a powerful presence in the region, which supports peace and stability.”
An Osprey flies over the flight deck of USS Nimitz as it conducts exercises in the South China Sea Feb. 11. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Justin McTaggart)
An Osprey prepares to land on the flight deck of USS Nimitz as it conducts exercises in the South China Sea Feb. 11. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Justin McTaggart)
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The United States has shot down three more unidentified “objects” over the United States and Canada since it shot down the Chinese balloon earlier this month. However, only the first balloon is known to be related to China.
Paul Best of Fox News contributed to this report.
