A Chinese meteorological buoy has been discovered around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Xiaoliuqiu, one of Taiwan's outlying islands. Defense analysts have raised concern over national security, as the discovery coincided with Chinese military drills near Taiwan.
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00:00A weather buoy, with the words Fujian Marine Meteorological Buoy Strait No. 3 written in
00:07simplified Chinese characters.
00:09The object is suspected to be from China, and was found floating some 50 nautical miles
00:14southwest of Taiwan's Xiaoliuqiu Island.
00:18Local Taiwanese fishers found the object earlier this week, saying it posed a safety risk.
00:22If you don't have a warning light at sea, if you don't set up a warning light at sea,
00:27it could cause a problem with the navigation system.
00:30It's like a fixed rope.
00:33The Fishers' Association alerted the Coast Guard, who then sent a ship to investigate the buoy.
00:39We will continue to observe the buoy on site to see if there are any anomalies,
00:43and to expand our search to see if there are any similar buoys.
00:46We will also keep a close eye on the relevant information.
00:51The buoy was discovered while China conducted military exercises around Taiwan earlier this week.
00:57Although the object was found outside the range of the drills,
01:00defense analysts say it raises national security concerns.
01:03It could be seen as a violation of our maritime sovereignty,
01:06especially for the Navy.
01:08It is very, very important to understand the marine climate.
01:11So you can't rule out the possibility that it could be used for military or other purposes.
01:19This is not the first time something like this has happened.
01:22Earlier this year, a buoy connected to a Chinese satellite was found on a beach in Penghu,
01:27another Taiwanese outlying island in waters between Taiwan and China.
01:31Defense analysts have advised the government to stay alert,
01:34and monitor China's weather detection activities around Taiwan,
01:38and to take necessary measures to protect the country's security.
01:42Luffy Lee and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.
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