China has launched a Long March rocket carrying a spy satellite that was reportedly spotted over Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Thursday morning, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND).
According to the MND, the PLA launched its rockets from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province, China. The flight altitude of the rocket, the defence ministry noted, was above the atmosphere and "poses no harm to Taiwan."
Nevertheless, according to the MND, the rocket's flight path went above Taiwan's ADIZ's southwest corner.
In order to enable a suitable response, it continued, it had deployed its joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system to track the ballistic dynamics, trajectories, and other data.
According to China's state-run People's Daily, a Long March 2D carried a Yaogan-39 "remote sensing satellite" into orbit. Although China has released few details about the Yaogan series, Western observers assess that these satellites are for "military purposes," Taiwan News reported citing Virginia based Space News, a print and digital publication that covers business and political news in the space and satellite industry.
The Yaogan series of surveillance satellites, according to security specialists published in The Eurasian Times, are equipped with "optical and radar payloads intended to boost the Chinese anti-access and area-denial capabilities by augmenting the Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile system (ASBM)."
Following China's intensified military aggression, economic coercion and threats against its neighbor over the last few years, Taipei's ties with Beijing have been dealing with severe tensions.
China claims that Taiwan is part of their country while the latter called itself a sovereign and independent nation and not part of the former.
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