Taiwan chief of staff Shen Yi-ming remembered as ‘outstanding’ commander who helped build up air power
- Air force chief had taken part in a secret mission to Yemen and later played a key role in strengthening the island’s fleet of fighter jets
- President Tsai Ing-wen warns armed forces to remain on alert after helicopter accident that killed eight senior personnel
The death of the Taiwanese chief of the general staff in a helicopter crash this week has robbed the island of a key figure in its plans to defend itself in the face of an increasingly aggressive mainland China.
Shen Yi-ming, 62, was one of eight people, including two major generals, who died when the UH-60M Black Hawk crashed in mountainous country south of Tapei on Thursday. Five other people on board survived.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen, who is seeking a second term in next week’s elections, described the former air force commander as an “outstanding and capable general” who was well loved by his peers.
Meanwhile her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, who appointed Shen to lead Taiwan’s air force, said the general was known as one of the military’s key talents.
Shen played a major role in Taiwan’s procurement of fighter jets in the face of threats from Beijing, which has not ruled out the use of force to reunify the island with the Chinese mainland.