TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said Tuesday (Feb. 14) that the country’s principle of handling high-altitude spy balloons is similar to that of the U.S. and would respond to those located near the country’s territorial waters and airspace that pose a serious threat to national security, including shooting them down.
The Financial Times reported that Taiwan has observed dozens of Chinese military balloons flying into its airspace in recent years, raising concerns. The MND held a regular press conference on Tuesday morning, during which Major General Huang Wen-chi (黃文啓), who is with the Office of Deputy Chief of the General Staff on Intelligence, said that the balloons detected by radar were divided into those for civilian use and those that pose a national security risk, and should be dealt with accordingly.
Huang said most of the balloons found around Taiwan were weather balloons. These balloons are small and lightweight, and will burst once they have ascended to a certain altitude, he added.
On the other hand, a reconnaissance balloon would be detected on MND radar, disputing foreign media reports that Taiwan’s military would be unable to detect such a craft, Huang added.
Huang stressed that Taiwan's handling of spy balloons is similar to that of the U.S.; that is, only those posing a threat to national security and people's livelihood will be dealt with. However, so far, Taiwan has not encountered balloons that pose such a threat.
