Taiwan Says Chinese Plane Flew Close to Remote Island, Possibly to Test Taipei’s Military Response

Taiwan soldiers stand next to the domestically produced corvette class vessel Tuo Chiang (R) during a drill at the northern city of Keelung on Jan. 7, 2022. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Beijing may be deploying a new strategy to test Taipei’s reactions after a small Chinese civilian plane flew very close to one of Taiwan’s outlying islands, Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Feb. 15.

The ministry confirmed a Chinese civilian Y-12, a twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft, flew near Dongyin Island on Feb. 5, part of Taiwan’s Matsu archipelago that is located off southeastern China’s Fujian Province.