Taipei - (AFP) - The Taiwanese army announced Thursday that it had found the remains of a device suspected of being a Chinese meteorological balloon, and decided to step up patrols to monitor military facilities, amid increasing threats from Beijing against the island.

The military said that "unidentified objects" were seen falling Thursday over the Matsu Islands in the East China Sea, about 280 km from Taipei.

The remains of a balloon with a diameter of one meter and a device inscribed with Chinese characters of the simplified alphabet commonly used in China read "Taiwan Radio No. 1 Factory Co, Ltd" and "Meteorological Instrument", according to the army statement.

"Our initial analysis indicates that the remains belong to a weather-monitoring device," the army said, adding that it had been stored for the purpose of analysis.

The statement declared that "all units are required to reinforce patrols in the camps" and monitor the situation.

In early February, US President Joe Biden ordered the destruction of a Chinese balloon that flew over American territory, including sensitive military sites.

US officials confirmed that it was a spy balloon, likely part of a fleet of similar devices.
China responded by saying that the balloon was intended for weather-related research, and accused the United States of deploying American spy balloons over its territory, which US officials denied.

China has in recent years tightened its military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan, which it considers an integral part of its territory and should be restored by force if necessary.

And the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that it had detected Chinese meteorological balloons, without providing details about the number.

And she warned that it would destroy balloons during their flight if they posed a "threat at high levels," stressing that such a situation had not yet been exposed.