Air attack alert triggered in Taiwan following China satellite launch, only days before election

A few days before a pivotal presidential election, Taiwan's southern airspace was crossed by a Chinese satellite, prompting the country to issue an islandwide air raid alert.

A message exhorting people to "be aware for your safety" was sent to all mobile phone users on the self-ruled island.

Tensions are high in the lead-up to Saturday's crucial presidential and legislative elections, as the "presidential alert" highlighted.

China has been accused of meddling in the election and has long asserted its territorial claim over Taiwan.

An important flashpoint in the struggle for Asian dominance between China and the United States is the self-governing island of 23 million inhabitants. Elections, according to experts, will determine the future of relations between China and the United States.

At 15:03 local time, the satellite was launched from China's Sichuan province's Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, according to Taiwan's defense ministry. Around the same time as the warning, China's state-run CCTV reported the "complete success" of the launch of a satellite called Einstein Probe.

According to Reuters, Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu characterized the launch of a satellite above Taiwanese airspace so near to the election as a "greyzone" operation.

"When a rocket is openly flying in our sky, some of their tubes or debris will fall in this region," stated Mr. Wu, who was present at a news conference when the alarm was circulated.

Our national alert center will send this type of alert for that purpose. This has transpired previously.

The Taiwanese defense ministry stated that it was monitoring the satellite's path in order to "appropriately alert and respond" appropriately. According to the ministry, the satellite passed across Taiwanese airspace while at a high height.

According to Taiwanese media, the government has never before issued an islandwide alert like this.

The leader of the largest opposition party in Taiwan, Kuomintang (KMT) chairman Eric Chu, accused the DPP government of inciting panic, citing the term "missile" in the English translation of the alert as an example. The message stated: "[Air raid alert] Missile flyover Taiwan airspace, be aware."

The idea that a satellite launch may cause such a warning is new to me. The realization that it was actually a satellite likely stunned everyone. They had assumed it was a missile. Thus, in his opinion, the Ministry of National Defense is attempting to deceive the public through the issuance of such an alert.

The defense ministry of Taiwan later issued an apology for the misleading mention of a missile in the text message sent to cellphones.

In a joint venture with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, the European Space Agency has announced the Einstein Probe.

According to China's Xinhua news agency, the satellite is set to "observe mysterious transient phenomena in the universe comparable to the flickering of fireworks, with the aim of unveiling the violent and little-known aspects of the cosmos" (Tuesday).

The passage of Chinese carrier rockets above the island was also confirmed in December by Taiwanese media. A carrier rocket, which was also launched from Xichang, reportedly soared beyond Taiwan's southeastern region on December 10, according to a Focus Taiwan article.

Air attack alert triggered in Taiwan following China satellite launch, only days before election

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