US Navy patrol plane flies over Taiwan Strait amid increased PLA activity
- Chinese fighter jets monitored the P-8A Poseidon aircraft, PLA says
- US Navy says it demonstrates ‘commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific’
Chinese fighter jets tracked and monitored the plane, according to the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command, which oversees the Taiwan Strait. It said the Chinese military “handled [the situation] in accordance with the law and regulations”.
“Troops maintain a high level of alert at all times and are resolute in defending the security of national sovereignty and regional peace and stability,” said Colonel Shi Yi, a spokesman for the theatre command.
The US Navy’s Seventh Fleet said in a statement the action demonstrated “the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific”, and the patrol plane had “transited the Taiwan Strait in the international space”.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” it added.