Taiwan detects 7 Chinese vessels, balloon around itself

In a post on X, the MND stated, "7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 PRC balloon was detected during this timeframe. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded."

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/2027911703992717389?s=20

Earlier on February 28, the MND detected seven Chinese naval vessels and a Chinese balloon around its territorial waters.

In a post on X, the MND said, "7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 PRC balloon was detected during this timeframe. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and responded."

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/2027549317809033399?s=20

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese government's stance on prohibiting senior officials from China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) from entering the country remains unchanged, citing an ongoing lack of goodwill from Beijing, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said, according to a report by Taipei Times.

MAC Deputy Chairman Liang Wen-chieh defended the government's position while responding to media questions about a Shanghai delegation that attended the Taipei Lantern Festival. The delegation was led by a lower-ranking TAO official instead of the director of its Shanghai office.

Liang stated that this arrangement had been clearly specified in the TAO's entry application and added that the council had not received any application from the Shanghai office director or deputy director, Taipei Times reported.

According to the report, China's decision to send a junior official may be linked to its large-scale military drills conducted around Taiwan last year, shortly after Taipei Mayor Chiang Wen-an returned from the Shanghai-Taipei Twin City Forum held in Shanghai. During that forum, Chiang had called for peace and shared prosperity across the Taiwan Strait.

The council had imposed a ban in 2024 on senior TAO officials entering Taiwan in response to the Chinese Communist Party's release of a 22-point set of "guidelines" targeting what it described as "die-hard" Taiwanese independence separatists. These measures reportedly included provisions permitting the death penalty. Liang stated that any reconsideration of the policy would depend on a demonstration of goodwill from Beijing. (ANI)