Taiwan claims Chinese plane flew dangerously close to Dongying; 'China's new strategy'

Taiwan Defence Ministry on Tuesday informed that a small Chinese civilian plane flew unusually close to a remote Taiwanese controlled island off China's coast earlier this month. y believe that this could be China's new strategy.  Ministry stated that on Feb. 6, aircraft went quite close to Dongying, which is part of Matsu archipelago off coast of Fujian province in China. ministry revealed that aircraft was a Chinese civilian Y-12, a light twin-engined aircraft, after previously failing to identify it.

As per local media reports, Ministry spokesman Shih Shun-wen stated that y had launched a preliminary probe into Dongyin incident and that y cant rule out possibility that China is employing civilian aircraft to test Taiwan's military's responses. He furr said that military will undoubtedly respond but it will also adopt a variety of contingency measures in event of a mir incident that triggers a war.

Residents in Dongyin could see and hear plane

Residents in Dongyin, Matsu could see and hear plane flying close next to m, according to Taiwanese media. Since defeated Republic of China government withdrew to Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war to Communists, Matsu islands have been under Taiwanese authority. Although Matsu islands are t as well-defended as y were until late 1970s, Taiwan still retains military units on islands.

For past two years, China has been accused of exercising military action near Taiwan with China's air force primarily flying into Taiwan's air defence zone off its southwestern and sourn coasts. This is referred to as "grey zone warfare" by Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and has increased pressure on Taipei to recognise its authority.

Countermeasures on US missile upgrades to Taiwan

In meanwhile, United States anunced plans to deliver $100 million in Patriot missile upgrades to Taiwan, which is first US arms sale to island since 2022 and second under Biden administration. It was slammed by China stating that y will take countermeasures on US move.