Taiwan has said that a dozen Chinese fighter jets and a balloon crossed the Taiwan Strait’s sensitive median line, as Taipei is on high alert for Chinese interference ahead of elections next month. While Beijing has been sending warplanes and vessels around Taiwan on a near-daily basis, nighttime activity by Chinese aircraft and the appearance of a balloon are rare. The potential for China to use balloons for spying became a global issue in February when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese surveillance balloon. The Pentagon concluded in June that the balloon did not gather data. Still, the Chinese missions have prompted Taiwan to increase its purchases of aircraft from the US, its chief ally, and revitalize its own defense industry, including producing submarines.

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