Taiwan claims balloon with Chinese parts landed on its territory

A balloon equipped with electronics equipment made by a state-owned Chinese company landed on Taiwanese territory, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.

Taiwanese officials said Tuesday they would shoot down Chinese military balloons over its territory, just as the U.S. did on Feb. 4 when an object equipped with surveillance equipment floated from Montana to the Atlantic Ocean. China claimed that was a weather balloon.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said equipment in the balloon found on the Taiwanese island of Tungyin was made by China’s Taiyuan Wireless (Radio) First Factory Ltd. Tungyin is part of the Matsu island group, which is Taiwanese territory that lies just a few miles off the coast of mainland China.

A spokesman for Taiyuan Wireless reportedly said the company provides equipment for the China Meteorological Administration. That spokesman said his company didn’t make the balloon, but speculates it deflated after reaching its 100,000 foot maximum altitude, then fell to earth.

China covets Taiwan, which it considers its own territory and which avoided being taken over by Beijing after the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949. Mainland China’s Communist government has been sabre-rattling over Taiwan’s independence ever since. U.S. support for Taiwan has fueled those tensions.

U.S. presidents approved $20 billion in weapon sales to Taiwan since 2017, according to Reuters. The Biden Administration said in September it would sell $1.1 billion in military equipment including anti-ship and air-to-air weaponry to the islands.

China reportedly put weapon-maker Lockheed Martin on its “unreliable entities list” Thursday for providing arms to Taiwan. The designation prohibits Lockheed Martin from importing and exporting Chinese goods.

[ Hobby group wonders if F-22 shot down its missing balloon ]

President Biden has vowed to support Taiwan if “there was an unprecedented attack” by China.

During a speech Thursday, he talked about the Chinese balloon destroyed by U.S. fighter jets — as well as three other flying objects shot down since that seem unrelated.

Biden made clear he isn’t looking for a fight with China, but said: “Make no mistake, if any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down.”

With News Wire Services