Do you believe in coincidences?

Taiwan's top military commander was killed today along with 7 others in a helicopter crash.

General Shen Yi-ming, who as chief of general staff oversaw the island's defense against mainland China.

The cause of the crash is unknown but visibility was reportedly good. It's the kind of thing that undoubtedly raises eyebrows, especially when the Global Times tweets this afterwards:

Do you believe in coincidences?

The crash also comes just days ahead of a January 11 election.

China hasn't ruled out using military force to gain control over Taiwan. However the US backs the Taiwanese government and would likely intervene. If the superpowers were to test each others' defenses, you could expect to see a major risk off trade.