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’

China’s military

Zhao Ziwen

Published: 8:35pm, 13 Jul 2023

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A US Navy patrol plane flew over the Taiwan Strait on Thursday amid increased Chinese People’s Liberation Army activities in the area.

The US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft transited through the sensitive airspace on Thursday morning, flying south along the median line of the strait, according to Sun Li-fang, a spokesman for Taiwan’s defence ministry.

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.

It comes amid increased PLA activity in the Taiwan Strait in recent days. Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had seen 38 PLA aircraft and nine ships near the island on Wednesday, and 33 aircraft and the same number of ships the previous day. It said most of the aircraft – including Su-30 fighter jets and J-10 combat planes – crossed the median line in the strait, which separates the island from mainland China.

03:05

Nato leaders slam China over Russia ties and Taiwan threats in bloc’s strongest rebuke yet

On Tuesday, Nato issued its sternest rebuke yet of China, accusing Beijing of opaquely building up its military power in a joint statement released during a leaders’ summit in Lithuania.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that “China is increasingly challenging the rules-based international order” and “threatening Taiwan”.

Beijing hit back on Wednesday, with Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin saying Nato’s ties with Indo-Pacific partners would “only stir up regional tensions, triggering camp confrontation and even a new Cold War”.

“Asia-Pacific countries do not welcome it, and many Nato countries are not in favour of the ‘Asia-Pacificisation’ of Nato, and the Asia-Pacific region does not need an Asia-Pacific version of Nato,” Wang said.

Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory to be brought under its control – by force if necessary. The United States, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but is committed to supporting the island’s defence.