Taiwan Spots More China Balloons Ahead of Election

NTD Newsroom
By NTD Newsroom
January 8, 2024China in Focus
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Taiwanese voters will select the island’s new president soon. In that lead-up, more balloons from China have been spotted over the island.

Based on data from Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, balloons have occasionally floated by or over the island over the past month. But that frequency has jumped with multiple spotted per day. Several of them approached an Air Base though the ministry didn’t see how close they got.

One thing they have in common, experts say the balloons don’t pose an immediate military threat. Instead, their purpose may be as a pre-election warning: telling Taiwanese voters that Beijing is watching.

The Chinese Communist Party claims the island as its own despite never having ruled it. It’s also been accused of trying to sway the vote to help candidates it sees as more favorable.

According to Taiwan’s foreign minister, a new report will detail that. After the vote is tallied on Friday, the island will release an analysis on China’s alleged election interference attempts.