Taiwan has detected the presence of eight Chinese balloons for the second consecutive day, according to a report from The Standard. The balloons were observed by Taiwan's defense ministry on Saturday, coinciding with the start of the Lunar New Year holiday. Five of the balloons flew directly over the island, while one grazed its northern tip. The balloons were flying at altitudes ranging from 12,000 to 35,000 feet.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the self-governed island under its control. In recent years, Beijing has increased military pressure on Taiwan, regularly deploying warplanes and naval vessels near the island. Balloons have also become more common in the airspace over Taiwan. This recent batch of eight balloons follows a previous detection of the same number on Friday, marking the highest number of balloon sightings since the defense ministry began regularly reporting such incidents in December.
The latest balloon sightings come after Taiwan's presidential election, which took place last month and resulted in a victory for Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Beijing views Lai as a "separatist" and had warned that his election would bring "war and decline" to Taiwan. However, immediately following the election, China did not send a significant number of warplanes or naval vessels to the region.
Taipei has reported that the largest incursions by Chinese warplanes occurred on January 13, with 33 aircraft detected around Taiwan. The highest number of Chinese aircraft recorded in a 24-hour period was in September, when Taiwan observed 103 warplanes near the island.
Overall, the presence of Chinese balloons and military activities in the Taiwan Strait continues to be a source of tension between China and Taiwan. The situation highlights the ongoing geopolitical challenges in the region.
台灣連續第二天發現八個中國氣球
據《The Standard》報導，台灣連續第二天發現八個中國氣球。台灣國防部週日表示，這些氣球是在農曆新年假期的第一天，也就是星期六被發現的。這八個氣球中，有五個直接飛越了台灣島嶼，其中一個則擦過了台灣北部的尖端。根據國防部公佈的地圖，這些氣球的飛行高度在12,000至35,000英尺之間。
中國宣稱台灣是其領土的一部分，並且沒有排除使用武力將這個自治島嶼納入其控制之下。近年來，北京方面加大了對台灣的軍事壓力，幾乎每天都派遣戰機和海軍艦艇在該地區活動，而氣球也越來越多地在台灣上空飛行。在這次連續第二天發現的八個氣球之前，上周五也曾發現過同樣數量的氣球，這是自去年12月以來國防部定期公布氣球目擊數據以來最多的一次。
這些最新的氣球目擊事件發生在台灣上個月的總統選舉之後，該選舉由執政的民進黨候選人賴清德獲勝。北京將賴清德視為「分裂分子」，並警告稱他的當選將給台灣帶來「戰爭和衰落」。然而，在選舉後的立即時期，中國並未向該地區派遣大量戰機或海軍艦艇。
台北方面報告稱，1月13日中國戰機對台灣的最大侵犯事件涉及33架飛機。中國在24小時內派遣的最多飛機數量是去年9月，台灣當時記錄到了103架中國飛機在島上附近活動。
總體而言，中國氣球和軍事活動在台灣海峽地區的存在持續加劇了中國和台灣之間的緊張局勢。這一情況凸顯了該地區持續存在的地緣政治挑戰。
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