Chinese military aircraft enter Taiwan’s airspace as US tracks surveillance balloon

Defense officials said more than a dozen Chinese military aircraft and four naval ships were detected near Taiwan on Friday morning.

Intrusions by Chinese warplanes have become an almost daily occurrence in recent months, but Friday’s aggression comes ahead of a visit by Foreign Minister Antony Blinken.

FILE PHOTO: Chinese military helicopters take off from Pingtan Island in Fujian province, one of the closest points from Taiwan to mainland China.
(Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images)

A high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon was also spotted in the sky over Montana on Thursday, prompting some senators to ask Blinken to cancel his trip.

US government monitoring suspected Chinese spy balloons in northern states

Sen. Steve Dines, R-Mont., requested a full security briefing from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the balloons, saying Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) and the United States could be intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) field targets . intelligence operation.

A balloon is seen flying in the sky over Billings, Montana, US on February 1, 2023 in this photo obtained from social media.
(Chase Doak/via Reuters)

Austin, who was visiting Camp Navarro in the Philippines when the news broke, called a meeting with senior Defense Department leaders and called for no military action because of “the risk to the safety and security of people on the ground from the potential debris field”. decided to do. ,” according to a senior defense official.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s military activated aircraft, naval vessels and land-based missile systems on Friday morning to monitor China’s incursions.

FILE PHOTO: Taiwanese military forces conduct anti-landing drills during the annual Han Kuang military exercise near New Taipei City in Taiwan, Wednesday, July 27, 2022.
(Taiwan Ministry of National Defense via AP, File)

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Taiwan’s ambassador to the US, Bi-Khim Siao, said last month that the island had learned important lessons from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“What we are doing now is to prevent the pain and suffering of Ukraine’s tragedy from repeating itself in our scenario in Taiwan,” he told The Associated Press. “So ultimately, we want to prevent the use of military force. But in the worst-case scenario, we understand that we have to be better prepared.”

Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this report.