Forbes
Date: Sep 4, 2020
By: Michael Peck
A Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jet performs during a test flight ahead of the Airshow China 2014 in Zhuhai, … [+] AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The answer is no. And that’s good news, because the last thing that the current Asian tinderbox needs is being set aflame with rumors of war.
The furor began when Taiwanese social media went abuzz with video that purportedly showed the wreckage of a People’s Liberation Army Air Force Su-35 fighter destroyed by Taiwanese air defenses. Other video supposedly showed the injured pilot laying on the ground.
The Taiwanese tweets were quickly picked up by Indian social media. Recent border clashes between Chinese and Indian troops in the Himalayas have heightened tensions between the two nations. With China deploying additional jets on the Indian border, and India sending its new French-made Rafale fighters to the region, the sight of a destroyed Chinese jet must have gladdened the hearts of Indian nationalists. [FULL STORY]
