Nationwide alert issued after Chinese satellite detected over Taiwan

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry issued an alert on Tuesday that China had launched a satellite over the south of the island and called on residents’ to be cautious.

It was the first time the ministry had issued such a nationwide alert due to Chinese satellites. In the past, it just issued a regular statement.

Premier Chen Chien-jen said late Tuesday that the government has an obligation to let the public know about such potential threats.

In its initial warning, the ministry inadvertently used the word "missile" in its English version, a mistake it later corrected to "satellite."

The warning came during a press conference for the international media given by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Tuesday afternoon where he condemned Chinese interference in Taiwan’s upcoming elections.

"They want to use Taiwan as a test ground. If they are able to successfully shape the results of the Taiwan election, they will try to apply their tactics on other countries," Wu said.

"If they are so interested in playing with democratic elections, they should start doing their own democratic elections," Wu said.

Since January 1, Taiwan has detected 20 Chinese balloons over Taiwan on eight consecutive days. Half of them flew over the island, according to data released by the Defence Ministry.

Chinese military aircraft and Chinese naval vessels have also been detected every day.