HONG KONG, December 18. /TASS/. Two Chinese balloons crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the past day, the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense reported.

One of the two balloons was spotted at 9:03 a.m. local time (1:03 a.m. GMT) on Sunday, and the other at 2:43 p.m. (6:43 a.m. GMT), the ministry said. They crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait 110 nautical miles (203.7 km) northwest of Keelung City in northern Taiwan.

According to the Taiwanese defense agency, the balloons were detected at an altitude of about 8.2 km. They continued flying eastward before disappearing. The Taiwanese military last reported spotting a Chinese balloon near the island on December 8.

In addition, Taiwan’s army registered the approach of six aircraft of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and two warships near the island in the past day. One of the warplanes, a Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait west off the island.

Taiwan, China’s largest island, has been governed by its local administration since 1949. Since then, Taiwan has preserved the flag and some other symbols of the Republic of China that had existed in mainland China before the Communists came to power. Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.