Chinese military transport plane flies near Taiwan

Taiwan dispatched aircraft and ships to 鈥渕onitor and deal with鈥� the Yun-8, similar to one above, which returned to its base after flying through the Bashi Channel and Miyako waterway.

TAIPEI: At least one Chinese Air Force Yun-8 transport plane conducted a long-haul flight near Taiwan on Sunday, the island鈥檚 Defense Ministry said, amid simmering tensions between the two rivals.
Taiwan dispatched its aircraft and ships to 鈥渕onitor and deal with鈥� the Yun8, which returned to its base after flying through the Bashi Channel and Miyako waterway, Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan said. It was unclear whether one plane or more made the flight.
There was no untoward incident and the public should not be alarmed, Feng said. He did not give further details.
China has considered Taiwan to be a wayward province since Chiang Kai-shek鈥檚 Nationalist troops fled to the island in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong鈥檚 Communist forces on the mainland.
Beijing suspects Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party wants to declare the island鈥檚 formal independence. Tsai says she wants to maintain peace with China but will defend the island鈥檚 security.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled democratic island under its control.
China has conducted numerous similar patrols near Taiwan this year, saying such practices have been normalized as it presses ahead with a military modernization program that includes building aircraft carriers and stealth fighters to give it the ability to project power far from its shores.
In September, the US Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2018 fiscal year, which authorizes mutual visits by navy vessels between Taiwan and the United States.
That prompted a senior Chinese diplomat to say this month China would invade the island if any US warships made port visits there.