Taipei, Taiwan - Officials in Taipei on Monday revealed that they had detected a Chinese balloon over waters located northwest of the island. It is the first sighting of such an aircraft since April this year.

Taiwan's (ROC) defense ministry revealed that the latest balloon was spotted on Sunday about 69 miles northwest of Keelung City at an altitude of 33,000 feet. It stayed in the island's air defense zone for two hours.

In addition, 12 Chinese military aircraft and seven warships were detected around Taiwan within a 24-hour period, according to the ROC's Ministry of National Defense.

China's use of balloons for military purposes was highlighted in 2023 when the US shot down a spy balloon carrying a large payload of electronics, which had flown over its sovereign territory.

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Its use of spy balloons on Taiwan is well known and part of a mass attempt to put pressure on Taipei over claims that the self-ruled island is actually part of China.

Over the last few months, Beijing has continued to mount military pressure on Taiwan via military drills and intimidation, including live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait and its surrounding waters and airspace.

When questioned by reporters about the latest spy balloon, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning denied the existence of Taiwan's democratically elected government.

"First of all, there is no such thing as 'Taiwan defense ministry,' and the question is not related to foreign affairs," spokesperson Mao told the AFP.

The ROC's Ministry of National Defense on Sunday said that eight of the aircraft detected on Sunday crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line and issued assurances that they had "monitored the situation and responded accordingly."