The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions.
The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.”
In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft — which flew in a north-south direction — was making the transit, and observed nothing unusual.
Photo: Reuters
Although the 160km-wide Strait that divides China from Taiwan is international waters, China considers the passage of foreign military aircraft and ships through it a challenge to its sovereignty.
China scrambled fighter jets to “monitor the US plane’s passage” and operated “in accordance of laws and regulations,” Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command spokesman Colonel Li Xi (李熹) said in a report on social media. “Theater troops are on high alert at all times to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability.”
China routinely issues stern protests and activates defenses in response to the passage of ships and military planes through the Strait, particularly those from the US.
China also regularly sends navy ships and warplanes into the Strait and other areas around Taiwan to wear down its defenses and seek to intimidate its 24 million people.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Tuesday spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun (董軍), in the latest effort by Washington to improve communications with the Chinese military and reduce the chances of a clash in the region.
It was the first time Austin has talked to Dong and the first time he has spoken at length with any Chinese counterpart since November 2022.
The call, which lasted a bit longer than an hour, came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China this month for talks.
Military-to-military contact stalled in August 2022, when Beijing suspended all such communication after then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan.
China responded by firing missiles over Taiwan and staging military maneuvers, including what appeared to be a rehearsal of a naval and aerial blockade of the nation.
Additional reporting by CNA
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