Chinese Military Aircraft Suspected of Using Civilian Plane as Cover in Taiwan Strait

Beijing is performing a military ‘test’ to gauge Taiwan’s reaction, says former lieutenant general of the island’s air force.

Cathay Pacific passenger jet takes off from Hong Kong International Airport on Oct. 21, 2020. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images

An airborne Chinese military aircraft recently ‘hid’ itself under a civilian airliner flying west of the center line of the Taiwan Strait.

On Sept. 24, Taiwan ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone), a military enthusiast group, posted on Facebook that at 8:30 a.m., it detected a Chinese Y-9 military communications command aircraft flying from south to north on the M503 route, west of the center line of the Taiwan Strait, for a short period.