Chinese Fighter Jets and Suspected Weather Balloon Cross Taiwan Strait Before Elections

Taiwan announced today, Friday, that 12 Chinese fighter jets and what is suspected to be a weather balloon crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, escalating tensions about a month before Taiwan's presidential elections. Over the past four years, Taiwan, which has a democratic system and is considered by China as part of its territory, has reported regular Chinese military patrols and exercises near the island. Taiwan is set to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on January 13, with campaign discussions focusing on how the next government will handle relations with China, a major contentious issue. The Taiwanese Ministry of Defense stated that 12 fighter jets crossed the median line, which serves as an informal boundary between the sides, but Chinese aircraft have been regularly flying over it lately. In an unusual addition to its statement, the ministry noted that around noon on Thursday, it detected a Chinese balloon about 101 nautical miles (187 kilometers) southwest of Keelung City in northern Taiwan, which flew east for nearly an hour before crossing the strait and then disappearing. Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters in Parliament that the "preliminary conclusion" is that it could be a weather balloon, but the ministry felt it necessary to inform the public. The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment. The possibility of China using balloons for espionage became a global issue in February when the United States shot down what it claimed was a Chinese surveillance balloon, which Beijing stated was a civilian balloon that had accidentally strayed off course. Taiwan remains on high alert for Chinese activities, both military and political, ahead of the elections, especially what Taipei views as Beijing's attempts to interfere in the elections to sway voters towards candidates it favors.