Defense ministry urges public not to be influenced by Chinese balloons

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Saturday urged the public not to be influenced by "gray zone" tactics after an uptick in Chinese balloons detected floating over Taiwan.

In a statement, the ministry said its analyses had concluded that the main purpose of several balloons detected in the lead-up to election day on Jan. 13 was to "harass and rattle the people in Taiwan."

The ministry urged the public to remain calm in the face of Chinese cognitive warfare against Taiwan and not to be influenced by "gray zone" tactics.

The ministry's statement comes after the New York Times reported Thursday that the balloon float-overs could be a Chinese attempt to influence the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections, citing foreign and local military experts.

The piece quoted one Taiwanese expert as saying that China could resort to the concerted use of balloons to step up its espionage work in Taiwan, citing the Chinese spy balloon that was hovering over the United States before it was shot down by a U.S. Air Force F-22 last year.

Asked by CNA to comment on the prospect of Chinese balloons being used to gather intelligence in Taiwan, the ministry said that it had camouflaged or covered military assets in advance with the help of its early warning mechanisms in light of that risk.

The MND began reporting sightings of Chinese balloons drifting across the median line of the Taiwan Strait in early December.

However, it was not until this month that the balloons began frequently floating across Taiwan, according to the MND.

The MND said that balloons floating across Taiwan peaked between Jan. 2 and Jan. 3, when three were spotted over a 24-hour period.

In its statement, the ministry said that the balloons had seriously compromised the safety of several international air routes and condemned China for disregarding the safety of passengers.

In response to the risks, the ministry said it immediately contacted agencies concerned with civil aeronautics to inform them of potential danger.

Asked whether the ministry has shot down any of the balloons or intends to do so in response to future events, the ministry said it would respond according to the altitude and possible purpose of airborne objects and the level of threat they pose.

So far, it has taken appropriate measures according to the "rules on responding to contingencies during normal times," the ministry said.