![In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday, April 9, 2023.](https://www.navytimes.com/resizer/si4vB-W-LGKTOBR7A-wTgcEKKxY=/400x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/RH2MWEPD6JHV5JH3WA2GHQZZHU.jpg)
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![In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around the Taiwan Island by the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday, April 9, 2023.](https://www.navytimes.com/resizer/si4vB-W-LGKTOBR7A-wTgcEKKxY=/400x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/RH2MWEPD6JHV5JH3WA2GHQZZHU.jpg)
![](https://www.navytimes.com/resizer/18F_ewBExzRVSKydkmJhGZ_orKo=/400x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/EVNF4ABMCNFITN5JXBJP2LYFZI.jpg)
Copter crash kills Taiwan’s top military officer, 7 others
As chief of the general staff, Gen. Shen Yi-ming was responsible for overseeing the self-governing island's defense against China, which threatens to use military force if necessary to annex what it considers part of its territory.
Op-ed: If you seek peace with China, prepare for war
Like Imperial Japan in its heyday, which misjudged its sea power position and adopted a failed continental strategy, China seems intent on subjugating its neighbors and poorest trading partners, the authors warn.
By Bruce A. Elleman and Sarah C. M. Paine, Naval War College