The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on Tuesday that it had activated the air threat warning system following a breach of its airspace by Chinese rockets launching satellites.
The Communist Party of China (CCP) launched the satellites using a Long March series carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan. The rocket passed over the southern part of an undisclosed Taiwanese island without prior warning, flying outside Earth’s atmosphere.
Taiwan’s army utilized the Joint Intelligence Monitoring and Reconnaissance System to track the rocket’s trajectory. The air threat warning system was subsequently activated, alerting the public to remain vigilant through text messages. However, a translation error led to the launched object being incorrectly described as a “missile” rather than a satellite in the English version of the messages. The MND has since issued an apology for the mistake.
In a response to the flight of the CCP’s airborne balloons over Taiwan, the MND issued a press release on Saturday, stating that these balloons pose a serious threat to international waterways. The ministry expressed concerns about the disregard for flight safety and potential risk to passengers on both sides of the strait.
The incident comes in the wake of a Chinese balloon flying over US airspace in March 2023 which sparked international controversy. The US had claimed it was a spy balloon, while China argued it was a civilian research balloon that deviated from its course. As a result, US State Secretary Blinken cancelled a Beijing trip citing a violation of sovereignty and international law. China, in response, accused the US of overreacting and violating international practice, vowing to protect its interests.
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