taipei least one chinese air force yun-8 transport plane conduct long-haul flight near taiwan sunday island defence ministry say amid simmer tensions two rival taiwan dispatch aircraft ship monitor deal yun8 return base fly bashi channel miyako waterway defense minister feng shih-kuan say unclear whether one plane make flight untoward incident public alarm feng say give detail china consider taiwan wayward province since chiang kai-shek nationalist troop flee island 1949 lose chinese civil war mao zedong communist force mainland beijing suspect taiwan president tsai ing-wen independence-leaning democratic progressive party want declare island formal independence tsai say want maintain peace china defend island security china never renounce use force bring self-ruled democratic island control china conduct numerous similar patrol near taiwan year say practice normalize press ahead military modernization program include build aircraft carriers stealth fighters give ability project power far shore september u.s. congress pass national defense authorization act 2018 fiscal year authorize mutual visit navy vessels taiwan unite state prompt senior chinese diplomat say month china would invade island u.s. warships make port visit chinese military transport plane fly near taiwan