China said Sunday it had launched a satellite into orbit, with authorities in Taiwan saying rocket debris had fallen into the sea where Beijing announced a no-sail zone this week. Maritime authorities in China's eastern Fujian province this week banned ships from an area north of Taiwan from 9am (0100 GMT) to 3pm (0700 GMT) on Sunday due to "possible falling rocket wreckage". Taiwan's transport ministry said Beijing had also planned to prohibit aircraft from entering the zone - criss-crossed by a number of international routes - for around half an hour from 9.30am, though Chinese authorities later criticised the claim as inaccurate. The announcements came days after Beijing declared an end to large-scale military drills around Taiwan carried out as a furious response to its leader Tsai Ing-wen's recent visit to the United States. Chinese state media on Sunday announced the successful launch of a "new meteorological satellite" from a space centre in northwestern China at 9.36 am. Footage released by state broadcaster CCTV showed a white rocket blasting off into clear skies from the launch centre in arid Gansu province, leaving a plume of smoke and dust in its wake. Taipei's...
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