A high-altitude balloon was spotted in the skies above northern Taiwan over the weekend, raising suspicion that it might be a spy balloon from China. But the Defense Ministry's initial judgment has a more benign take.
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On Saturday afternoon, an alert was issued in the airspace of northern Taiwan, as a high-altitude balloon was spotted floating through the sky.
Could it be a spy balloon from the other side of the strait? Probably not, says the Defense Ministry. It says preliminary analysis shows that the balloon is most likely the kind used for meteorological research. Nevertheless, they say it is still necessary to remain cautious as the election is approaching, noting that China has been taking many provocative actions.
The United States also continues to assist and provide weapons support to Taiwan. 80,000 sets of combat uniforms and 1,000 M240 B-type machine guns have already arrived in Taiwan via a U.S. military base in South Korea.
Retired ROC Air Force Lt. Gen. Chang Yen-ting (張延廷) says the 1,000 machine guns, with their 300-meter range, are primarily for urban warfare.
The U.S. has been sending weapons to Taiwan by military charter flights since August. The most recent batch of military equipment has been handed over to the Defense Ministry for allocation and distribution.
Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) says he can’t disclose any details about this batch of equipment, but that work is continuing.
Despite Xi Jinping's (習近平) denial of any specific plan or timeline for attacking Taiwan, the island continues to arm itself and be prepared for whatever may happen.
Fil Leskovsky
Rti news