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Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense has issued an island-wide air raid warning to its citizens after China launched a satellite over southern Taiwan without prior warning.
The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in western China at 3:03 p.m. local time, Chinese state television reported. Broadcaster CCTV said the launch was a success, without disclosing the nature of the satellite.
Taiwanese authorities issued an island-wide emergency alert for mobile phone users on Tuesday afternoon. The warning read:[Air raid alert] Missile passes through Taiwan airspace, please be careful, according to photos shared on social media.
A brief message from Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense provided no further details.
It appears that the English version of the warning, which referred to the incident as a “high-flying missile,” was a mistranslation.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, who was present at an international press conference when the alarm sounded, clarified that it was a satellite launch.
Mr. Wu asked reporters not to worry and continued with the press conference.
Later at the same time, officials from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation announced that they had successfully launched a powerful cosmic X-ray observation device.
The observatory, dubbed the Einstein probe, will help the Chinese government monitor flashes in the night sky and better understand cosmic events related to black holes and collisions between neutron stars.
The observatory was launched on a Long March-2C rocket from a satellite launch center in Sichuan province at 3:05 p.m. local time, the company announced.
Tuesday’s warning message came days before Taiwan is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, with votes overshadowed by China’s increasingly assertive activities around the island.
China does not recognize Taiwan’s elections or government and considers it an independent province. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly pledged to “unify” the island and said he would not hesitate to use force if necessary.