140102052254_cn_senkaku_diaoyu_balloon_464x261_afp.jpg (Photo : wcfcourier.com )
A bizarre twist in the East Asian Pacific occurred on Jan. 2.
A 35-year-old Chinese by the name of Xu decided to fly a hot air balloon into one of the world's most hotly contested territories. For the latter part of 2013 and into the new year, the United Statea, Japan and China have been having a staring contest on the part of the Pacific which borders Japan, Taiwan and China. So when the 35-year-old cook decided to fly a hot air balloon into the territory, it can't help but raise eyebrows.
The man crashed into the ocean and called for help on his wireless CB. After receiving word from Taiwan authorities, the Japanese sent a helicopter to rescue Xu Shi Jun who was located 22 kilometers from Diaoyu Island. That evening, Japanese authorities handed Xu over to a Japanese patrol ship. Taiwan's Foreign Relations Department issued a statement saying, "After discovering the stranded man, Japanese and Taiwanese agencies worked together in the rescue."
Mr. Xu was back home the same day and was already on Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter) saying "I am home safe thank you to everyone who was worried. I'm here." On his profile he is described as a Hubei resident and "The first man in China to hot air balloon over the Taiwan Strait."
Last year Mr. Xu made his intentions clear online saying that he intended to take on the big challenge of flying over Diaoyu Island. The island is only 2700 m long and between 150-700 m wide. It is just a tiny bit of sand in the ocean. At a distance of 359 km, it would require hours of flying at -40°C, with little oxygen, until finally landing on the island. Xu called himself "a Chinese man with attitude."
The Chinese Department of Foreign Relations issued a "no comment statement" regarding the hot air balloonist. Mr. Tai said that another department deals with these sort of things. He also insisted that a Chinese sea patrol immediately started a search for the man once they received news of the situation. He went on to say that the man was doing well and that Xu was "merely a hot air balloonist."
