Taiwan issued an Islandwide air raid alert after a Chinese satellite flew over its southern airspace days before a crucial presidential election.
Mobile phone users across the self-ruled island received a message warning them to be aware of their safety.
Reports say that China has long claimed Taiwan as part of its own territory and has been accused of interfering in the vote.
The self-governing island of 23 million people is a key flashpoint in the tussle between China and the US for supremacy in Asia. Analysts say the elections will shape the trajectory of ties between Beijing and Washington.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said that the satellite was launched off the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China’s Sichuan province. Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu said the launch of a satellite over Taiwanese airspace so close to the election is a gerygone activity.