Navy officials have said that an unidentified object detected near a naval base was not a Chinese submarine nor a whale, as reported in local newspapers.

The navy detected the unidentified object on Wednesday within 24 nautical miles of Kaohsiung's Zuoying naval base in southern Taiwan. The object first appeared on the sonar of a Taiwanese S-70C helicopter. After the navy picked up its presence, they sent out a message asking it to identify itself. But there was no response and the object left the area soon after. Taiwanese navy submarines were having drills in that area at the time.

Navy Fleet Command Chief Wen Chen-kuo said Monday that the object could not have been a Chinese submarine. That's because it did not speed up and leave upon detection. It just kept moving at its original pace. He also said that the navy acted in full compliance with the standard procedures to confirm that the object was not a Chinese submarine.

Wen added that there are many underwater conditions that can contribute to a false identification, such as seabed topography or whales swimming in the area. 

President Ma Ying-jeou has promoted reconciliation with China. But military sources say China has not reduced its military deployment against Taiwan. Ma was in Latin America on an official visit when the object was detected.