TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Tuesday evening (Jan. 8) released an explanation for its actions taken in response to the deviated trajectory of a Chinese satellite launch over Taiwan.

The MND said at 3:03 p.m., it had detected a Long March carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center had entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ). It was tracked following a path from Tainan to Taitung before leaving the ADIZ, north of the original expected trajectory.

The MND explained the actual trajectory was different from the one forecast by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and could have posed risks to those on the ground, so it used the national warning system to alert the public.

Monitoring confirmed that booster rocket debris from the launch all landed in China, and there were no unusual conditions observed, according to the ministry.

Regarding early warning messages, the Joint Air Operations Center has the authority to issue nationwide defense alerts under contingency procedures to ensure enemy threats are reported, said the MND. It added that the alert message is based on national security considerations and is processed by a delegated authority, and, "It is not affected by or subject to any party politics."

The ministry pledged that it will under the law, fully monitor any flying objects that enter Taiwan's ADIZ and airspace without permission or application and take appropriate measures.

Lastly, the MND apologized for the "mistaken English wording" when issuing the alert, a reference to its use of the word "missile" instead of "satellite." It pledged to conduct an internal review to refine operational procedures.

The ministry then included a map that showed the trajectory of the Long March-C rocket from the Joint Air Operations Center and over Taiwan's southern airspace. The map showed that the rocket deviated from its expected flight path, which was over the waters of Bashi Channel, south of Taiwan, and to the north of the Philippines.