Taiwan authorities said on Tuesday afternoon that a Chinese satellite had flown over southern Taiwan’s airspace, causing mobile phone users to receive an air raid alert, warning them to be aware for your safety.
In a statement, Taiwan’s defence ministry said the satellite was launched off the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China’s Sichuan province at 15:03 local time with Chinese broadcaster CCTV confirming a satellite named Einstein Probe had been launched from the centre.
Taiwan said its defence ministry is tracking the trajectory of the satellite to appropriately alert and respond to the situation, while foreign minister Joseph Wu said the launch of a satellite so close to the election is a “greyzone” activity,
Taiwanese media say this is the first time its government has flashed an island wide alert of this nature.
The incident comes days before pivotal presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, which analysts have said will shape the trajectory of ties between Beijing and Washington.
