BEIJING - China’s military said on April 17 that it sent fighter jets to monitor and warn a US Navy patrol aircraft that flew over the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a mission that took place just hours after a call between the Chinese and US defence chiefs.
China claims sovereignty over democratically governed Taiwan, and says it has jurisdiction over the strait. Taipei and Washington 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.
“By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations,” it said in a statement.
“The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
China’s military described the flight as “public hype”, adding that it had sent fighters to monitor and warn the US plane and “deal with it in accordance with the law and regulations”.
“Troops in the theatre are always on high alert and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability,” the Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said in a statement.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said the US aircraft flew south through the strait and that Taiwanese forces had monitored the situation but observed nothing unusual.
There was no immediate reaction from China.
The last time the US Navy announced that a Poseidon had flown through the strait, in December, the Chinese military said it had also sent fighter jets to monitor and warn the aircraft.
The latest Poseidon mission came shortly after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun, the first engagement the two have had in more than a year as the two countries seek to restore military ties.
Mr Dong told Mr Austin the Taiwan issue is the “core of China’s core interests and China’s core interests must absolutely not be harmed”, according to a readout from his ministry.
“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will never let any Taiwan independence separatist activities and external connivance and support go unchecked,” it cited Mr Dong as saying.
The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between them, and the issue is a constant irritant for China-US ties.
US military ships and aircraft transit the narrow Taiwan Strait about once a month.
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. REUTERS
