TAIPEI- Taiwan's defense ministry reported the detection of six additional Chinese balloons traversing the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, with one crossing the island, marking the latest in a series observed over the past month and a half. In an earlier statement, the ministry accused China of jeopardizing aviation safety and engaging in psychological warfare with the balloons, just days before Taiwan's January 13 elections. Despite Taiwan's objections, China claims the island as its own territory.

The incident, disclosed in the ministry's recent daily report on Chinese military activities, highlighted that six balloons crossed the sensitive median line of the strait on Sunday. Notably, only one balloon crossed over Taiwan, specifically at its southern tip, as indicated by the ministry's provided map. The remaining five balloons stayed north of Taiwan, avoiding land, before heading east and disappearing. The Taiwan Strait's median line, traditionally serving as an informal barrier, is increasingly disregarded by Chinese fighter jets, drones, and now balloons.

This development follows a pattern of heightened tensions, with China yet to respond to Taiwan's accusations. Notably, the potential use of balloons for spying gained global attention last February when the United States claimed to have shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon, an assertion China denied, contending it was a civilian craft that had unintentionally drifted off course. China has consistently refused to acknowledge the existence of the median line.