Taiwan has reported the sighting of a Chinese balloon, marking the first occurrence in six months

Taiwan’s defense ministry announced on Monday that it had detected a Chinese balloon over the waters to the north of Taiwan, marking the first such incident reported since April. Taipei perceives this as part of a broader pattern of intimidation from Beijing.

Taiwan, which China asserts as its territory, expressed concerns that in the weeks leading up to its presidential election in January, there was an “unprecedented scale” of Chinese balloon activity.

The ministry characterized these occurrences as elements of a Chinese pressure strategy, often referred to as grey-zone warfare, aimed at wearing down an adversary through unconventional tactics rather than direct confrontation.

Taiwan firmly rejects China’s claims of sovereignty and maintains that only the people of Taiwan have the authority to determine their own future.

In its routine morning briefing on Chinese military movements over the past day, the ministry reported that the balloon was detected at 6:21 p.m. (1021 GMT) on Sunday, approximately 60 nautical miles (111 km) north of Keelung port. The balloon disappeared about two hours later after flying at an altitude of 33,000 feet (10,000 meters), without entering Taiwanese airspace.

China’s defense ministry has not responded to requests for comment. Previously, China has dismissed Taiwan’s concerns regarding the balloons, asserting that they are intended for meteorological purposes and should not be politicized.

The issue of China potentially using balloons for surveillance gained international attention last year when the United States downed what it identified as a Chinese spy balloon. China contended that the balloon was a civilian device that had inadvertently strayed off course.