BEIJING: China’s military said on Wednesday (Dec 6) it sent fighter jets to monitor and warn a United States Navy patrol aircraft that flew over the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a mission that took place weeks before Taiwan holds elections.
China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan, and says it has jurisdiction over the strait. Taiwan and the US dispute that, saying the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.
The US Navy’s 7th Fleet said the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane, which is also used for anti-submarine missions, flew over the strait in international airspace.
“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” it said in a statement.
China’s military described the flight as “public hype”, adding it had sent fighters to monitor and warn the US plane and “deal with it in accordance with the law and regulations”.
Source: CNA
