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5

The aircraft transporting Speaker Pelosi and others is a US Air Force C-40C "a VIP transport aircraft often used to carry members of the Cabinet and Congress." In other words, a military aircraft.
– Rick Smith
Commented Aug 4, 2022 at 18:38
5

Its was not a military aircraft flying a sortie. So no not "military" except in some technical sense. re MH17 "There are scenarios in which the fighters shoot first. There are scenarios in which a local SAM battery takes matters into its own hand." I stand by the main answer: "No, there was never a meaningful chance". If there had been (and Pelosi has better access to intelligence than us) the pilot would not have flown.
– James K
Commented Aug 4, 2022 at 20:32
2

@Trilarion That probably wasn't deliberately shooting down a non-military plane. The shooting was deliberate, but they didn't intend to shoot down a non-military plane; they probably did think it was a military plane.
– Acccumulation
Commented Aug 5, 2022 at 1:19
11

>>"China could have sent a fighter escort to guide Pelosi's jet away from Taiwan"<< and that is really worth examining. They could have stopped Pelosi from visiting Taiwan, had they wanted to badly enough. It might have been a brouhaha, but it wouldn't have started a war and I doubt there would have been any real repercussions other than harsh words. So if they didn't do that, then they probably wanted to yell very angrily and conduct some military exercises instead, and Pelosi was more or less a convenient excuse.
– Chris Strickland
Commented Aug 5, 2022 at 1:56
1

@Trilarion That was flying over a very active warzone. As much as China are threatening action (and have been for some time), they are not actively attacking. The situations aren't similar. Non-military airplanes being shot down by a SAM battery without active military action in progress has not (to my knowledge) ever happened. Hell, even military airplanes being shot down is only a possibility if they go into the other country's airspace. And no aircraft has been shot down in the China/Taiwan conflict since 1967.
– Graham
Commented Aug 5, 2022 at 8:19

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