Military should do more about balloons: expertsPERSISTENCE: Even though Beijing’s tactics failed to sway Taiwanese voters, China continues to send balloons as a form of harassment, a researcher saidBy Wu Su-wei and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe military should enhance its response to China’s “gray zone” operations near Taiwan, and consider shooting down Chinese balloons over the ocean, Taiwanese researchers said on Saturday. Photo: AFP / Chase Doak“It costs China comparatively little to send balloons into Taiwanese airspace, and we should remain highly vigilant in the face of these incursions,” he said. From Jan. 14 to Friday, 22 balloons were detected, three of which passed over Taiwan proper, the data showed. The current sea conditions around the Taiwan Strait make it difficult for China to conduct drills with warships, but they are ideal for balloons, Shu said. China uses the balloons to collect information on atmospheric data over Taiwan, as well as Taiwan’s military deployments on the ground, which would help it prepare for launching rockets and missiles, he said.

Source: Taipei Times January 29, 2024 03:34 UTC