Taiwan’s Defence Ministry issued an alert on Tuesday that China had launched a satellite over the south of the island and called on residents’ to be cautious. It was the first time the ministry had issued such a nationwide alert due to Chinese satellites. In the past, it just issued a regular statement. Premier Chen Chien-jen said late Tuesday that the government has an obligation to let the public know about such potential threats. In its initial warning, the ministry inadvertently used the word “missile” in its English version, a mistake it later corrected to “satellite.” The warning came du…