If any war were to break out between the U.S. and China, one trigger may be the increasingly frequent fighter-jet encounters near Taiwan.
Almost every day, Taiwanese fighter pilots hop in their American-made F-16s to intercept Chinese warplanes screaming past their territory. The encounters probe the island’s defenses and force the pilots on both sides to avoid mistakes that could lead to a crisis that spins out of control.
"I didn’t know whether they would fire at me,” said retired Col. Mountain Wang, recounting a tense five-minute confrontation he had with People’s Liberation Army jets more than a decade ago. "You have to be highly alert, and not lead to any accident with unintended consequences.”