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A Missile, a Rocket or a Satellite? Chinese Flyover Sows Confusion in Taiwan.
A warning from Taiwan about a satellite, erroneously called a missile in English, raised concerns about Chinese harassment days before an election.
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A mobile phone showing an air raid alert about a Chinese satellite that had flown over Taiwan airspace on Tuesday. Taiwan’s defense ministry later apologized for an error in the English alert that called it a missile. Credit...Ann Wang/Reuters
By Damien Cave
Reporting from Taipei, Taiwan
Jan. 9, 2024, 6:47 a.m. ET
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Taiwan’s defense ministry issued an urgent alert Tuesday about a Chinese satellite launched on a rocket flying over the island, an alarming message that interrupted the final days of campaigning before a major election and spurred accusations of a political ploy.
The alert was sent to mobile phones across the island of 23 million people, where presidential and legislative assembly elections will be held Saturday. In English, the initial alert cautioned there was a missile flyover — an error quickly corrected by Taiwanese officials.
“It was a satellite, not a missile,” President Tsai Ing-wen said during a campaign stop in the southern city of Kaohsiung. “Don’t worry.”
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Damien Cave is an international correspondent for The Times, covering the Indo-Pacific region. He is based in Sydney, Australia. More about Damien Cave
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