US Navy P-8A Passes Through Taiwan Strait... China Strongly Protests

The U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft P-8A Poseidon flew over the Taiwan Strait on the 13th.

According to local media, the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet stated in a press release that the P-8A patrol aircraft passed through the international airspace over the Taiwan Strait on that day.

The U.S. Navy said this was related to freedom of navigation. In the statement, the U.S. Navy said, "The United States supports the navigation rights and freedoms of all countries by operating in the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law," adding, "The aircraft's passage through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."

It also added that the U.S. military can fly, navigate, and operate wherever permitted by international law.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense also announced that the U.S. Navy P-8A flew south along the median line of the Taiwan Strait that morning.

The median line of the Taiwan Strait is an unofficial boundary declared after the mutual defense treaty between the United States and Taiwan was signed in December 1954 to prevent military clashes between China and Taiwan.

The U.S. military's flight appears to be aimed at China's military provocations toward Taiwan. On the 11th, the Chinese People's Liberation Army sent 34 military aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, and 4 warships around Taiwan to conduct a show of force. At that time, 29 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered the southwestern and southeastern airspace of Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

China immediately protested this. In a statement, spokesperson Sui of the Eastern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, which oversees Taiwan, said, "The U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft P-8A publicly conducted propaganda by passing through the Taiwan Strait," adding, "The Eastern Theater Command organized fighter jets to monitor and guard all processes of the U.S. military aircraft and handled the situation according to laws and regulations."

He further asserted, "Each unit of the Eastern Theater Command always maintains a high level of vigilance and will safeguard the country's sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.