Two Chinese balloons spotted near Taiwan ahead of presidential election

Taiwan says two Chinese balloons flew north of the self-ruled island over the weekend as China increases pressure on Taipei ahead of a presidential election in January

Two balloons have been spotten by Taiwan ahead of country’s election (AP )

Two Chinese balloons flew north of Taiwan, the island's Defense Ministry said Monday, as China increases pressure on the self-ruled territory it claims as its own ahead of a presidential election in January.

The balloons crossed the sensitive Taiwan Strait separating the island from China and were detected about 110 nautical miles (204 kilometers) northwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Sunday, the ministry said.

It was the second time this month that Taiwan reported a Chinese balloon near its territory after one crossed southwest of Keelung on 7 December.

At the time the ministry said the balloon passed Keelung and then continued east before disappearing, possibly into the Pacific Ocean.

There seemed to be some uncertainty about whether the balloon was operated by the People’s Liberation Army, the military branch of China’s ruling Communist Party.

The ministry referred to it both as a “PLA surveillance balloon” and as “PRC’s balloon,” using the acronym for the People’s Republic of China, China’s official name.

China’s potential for using weather balloons to spy on other governments came into focus earlier this year, when the United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, drawing China’s ire.

United States shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon earleir this year (Chad Fish)

The balloon was suspected of having conducted spying activities on the US military.

At the time President Joe Biden said that he “ordered the Pentagon to shoot it down...as soon as possible”.

He said that military leaders chose to wait until the balloon was above water as it was “the safest place to do it”.

“They successfully took it down and I want to complement our aviators who did it,” he added.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry did not say whether it suspected the latest balloon could have been used for spying.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment, according to AP News.

Beijing has increased pressure on Taiwan by sending military aircraft and warships near the island almost daily.

Taipei is preparing for a presidential election on 13 January.

The front-runner, current Vice President William Lai of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, has been criticized by Beijing as a “separatist.”

Lai has said he wants to maintain peace and the status quo in relations with China.

Taiwan split from China amid a civil war in 1949, but Beijing continues to regard the island of 23 million with its high-tech economy as Chinese territory and has been steadily upping its threat to achieve that goal by military force if necessary.