China says it successfully launched a science satellite into orbit Tuesday, an event that triggered an island-wide alert in Taiwan.
Chinese state-run news outlets said an astronomical satellite dubbed the Einstein Probe was launched from a spaceport in southwestern Sichuan province.
Taiwan’s defense ministry issued an alert in English Tuesday afternoon describing the launch as a missile flyover. The alert was issued as Foreign Minister Joseph Wu was holding a news briefing with several foreign journalists.
Tuesday’s satellite launch comes just four days before voters on the self-ruled islands go to the polls to choose a new president and members of parliament.
Taiwan’s defense ministry has accused China of flying dozens of high-altitude balloons over its airspace since December, threatening civil aviation and waging psychological warfare ahead of Saturday’s election.
China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, and has vowed to annex the island by any means, including military invasion.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse.
